Rejuvenation
by Crionics
Summary: 5 years after the events of "Rebirth", the Chiss War has died down into a Cold War, and factions are developing within the Republic that threaten to destroy the developing Jedi Order. The Jedi and their allies come under increasing scrutiny as they work to find out the mystery behind the rise of the Sith Lords and their plans for the future of the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Ferros Hekla exited her quarters in the northeast section of the Jedi Temple ziggurat in the mid-morning, as was usual for a sixteen year-old girl. She, like many other female Jedi of the reformed Jedi Order, refused to wear the cumbersome and unflattering Jedi robes except when the occasion strictly called for it. This morning, being a hotter day on Coruscant, Ferros wore a simple black strappy singlet top, short black skirt and synthleather ankle boots; her now chest-length light brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail as per usual. She usually got around in knee-high boots and tight-fitting trousers of some description, as did her old masters Kayla Talus and Ashlyn Valos. Most of the male Jedi wore the traditional robes more often than not, and they mostly argued that it gave the Jedi a presence that was easily accessible to the normal laypeople of the Republic, and they were functional and easily replaced. Ferros liked to think that the men of the Order simply liked to appear heroic and humble like the Jedi of old.

Byz Akkon was not one of those men. Now seventeen years-old, Byz had become a Jedi Knight almost two years ago, and had begun wearing regular street clothes as well. His old master Lenny Tanski disapproved, saying that he'd gotten too close to Ferros and was starting to copy her ideals. Byz always spouted the same reasons as Ferros, and deep down she knew that Lenny was right. The two had become very close friends since Ashlyn had brought Ferros to Coruscant from Mandalore with her brother Gavin and his best friend Xander Reklos. They spent as much time as they could together. Although both insisted that they were simply friends, rumours spread amongst their other friends and the masters that they were romantically involved.

Unlike the older incarnations of the Jedi Order, romance and attachment in general amongst the Jedi was not discouraged. Devin Rokanh, the first Jedi of the new Order, and Kayla – who was now the Grand Master – insisted that the new Jedi learn as much about their emotions as possible. They were adamant that the more experiences that each person had, the more power that person had over the emotional responses of the experiences. Liina Hriyek – who was now the master of the Jedi Academy – even taught all the students that the Jedi's major role in the galaxy was to maintain balance in the Force. She taught them that the Force was both light and dark, and without one, the other cannot exist. The one thing that stayed in Ferros' mind the most was a question Liina had posed to her before she passed her trials. 'A warlord who has committed genocide on his home planet,' she had said, 'the warlord is caught but support remains amongst the planet's government. Is it okay to let him live, simply because taking a life is of the dark side?' It was a question that Ferros and Byz had spent a long, long time discussing. The old Jedi Order would argue that the dark side must be avoided at all costs, and that killing the warlord would accomplish nothing. The newly reformed Order however, would argue that allowing the warlord to live after committing such acts would be putting the Force massively out of balance. In order to keep the balance in the Force, the warlord would need to die to prevent further atrocities. Ferros and Byz agreed with this philosophy wholeheartedly, and often wondered how they would have gotten on in an older version of the Jedi Order.

One thing that had stayed pretty much the same in all the times of the Jedi was the Temple itself. Ferros left the northeast quarter of the ziggurat and made her way to the courtyards above. It was a sunny day on Coruscant, and as the weather forecast had promised it was quite hot already. Dozens of younglings were training with one of the older Padawans, Crinnul Forster. Ferros glanced their way long enough to establish that Crinnul was teaching them the Djem-So lightsaber form, and smiled as the younglings blindfolded themselves and activated their training remotes. She kept walking, heading to the southwest of the ziggurat where the High Council spire was located. She was early, and was supposed to meet Byz in ten minutes' time before seeing the Council. They hadn't told the two young Jedi Knights anything about it other than it was important, which they always said anyway, even if it was just Ashlyn and Finnschall playing one of their practical jokes.

Ferros sat down on a bench and watched the younglings block incoming laser bolts from the training remotes. She admired how well Liina and her few Jedi assistants had done in teaching them all so well. The Order only had about thirty-five fully trained Jedi Knights, including the masters, and yet thanks to ex-Chancellor Jaru Grennar they had more than one hundred younglings and adolescent Jedi trainees. Ferros knew that she herself would have to start training a Padawan of her own soon, as would Byz. Ferros had only just become a Jedi Knight not long ago, but she felt it was her responsibility to help train, if only to decrease the burden on Liina. There was one youngling who particularly caught her eye, and she decided to watch for a while.

The youngling was a human girl of about ten or eleven years, roughly the same age as Ferros was when she first came to the Jedi. Kayla had found her wandering the streets of lower Coruscant alone only a few months ago, and brought her back to the Temple because she felt sorry for her. She disappeared for a few moments to fetch some new clothes and some food for the girl and came back to find her levitating several items around the room. Kayla found out later from her that she was an orphan and had been living on the street for as long as she could remember, and offered her a place within the Order which she accepted eagerly. She had made lots of friends in that time, and although her skill wasn't as advanced as some of the other younglings, she tried extremely hard to keep up and was learning so quickly that Liina was having trouble placing her in any one group for too long.

"You're thinking about Padawans again?"

Byz sat down next to her and they gave each other a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, I think about it every time I see them training. They're so cute."

"You don't think we should maybe learn a bit more before trying to train anyone? We're not even old enough to drink yet."

"That's never stopped you," Ferros grinned. "Besides, I think we should. They'll learn a lot more with one of us than in a huge group with Crinnul."

"We won't be able to hang out as much if we have Padawans."

Ferros brushed Byz's straight blonde hair back from his eyes and leaned in close to his ear, deliberately brushing it lightly with her soft lips as she whispered. "What are you worried about?"

Byz's face became very faintly flushed, but if he was embarrassed then he hid it well. He turned his head to face her and drew in so close to her that to a casual observer it might have seemed as though they were about to kiss passionately.

"Who says I'm worried?" he smiled back. "I'm just making an observation."

"So am I," Ferros grinned as she closed within licking distance, biting her lower lip a little. Just as she saw Byz shifting a little closer, she stood up suddenly. "Come on, let's go already. The Council will be waiting for us."

Byz shook himself, then got to his feet and followed the short brunette into the southwest tower and up the turbolift. Ferros watched him as the turbolift ascended the spire, but he gave nothing away. He'd gotten quite good at that, but Ferros knew what he was thinking anyway.

The door to the Council chamber opened and revealed the eight Jedi Masters of the Jedi Council, waiting for them as expected. From the left were Finnschall Valos – the Chief Healer and second-cousin to Ashlyn – Liina, Ashlyn, Devin and Kayla in the middle, then Lenny, Runice Arriah, and finally Jens Blekkard who along with Finnschall were clearly the oldest of the reformed Order.

Finnschall was on the list given to Devin and Kayla by Jaru Grennar, and Ashlyn had only realised Finnschall was her father's cousin when they met. Ashlyn had been separated from her family on Shili while very young, whereas Finnschall had remained there for forty-one years before joining the order five years ago. She'd been a doctor, utilising her affinity with the Force to help treat her patients, giving her quite a reputation; a reputation that had earned her a place on Grennar's list, and subsequently a place on the Jedi Council and position of Chief Healer.

On the opposite end was Jens Blekkard, who was the second oldest member of the Order at forty years of age. He had come from rural Naboo with Crinnul Forster, where they'd been farmers famous for their produce. Grennar had added them to the list too, as he believed their famous produce was due to an innate ability with the Force. When Lenny and Byz had found them, they were only too eager to join the Jedi. Jens had advanced to the rank of Jedi Master extremely quickly, as he'd been training his whole life in one form or another and had mastered most of the basic skills already.

"You're early," Devin smiled. "When I was your age, I was never early for anything."

"You weren't trained in the Force back then, master," Byz countered.

"That makes no difference," Kayla grinned. "He's trained now and he's still never early."

Devin shot her a wounded look, which she rebutted with a mocking expression of guilt. Ferros shook her head in amazement – she'd always presumed that the Jedi Council would be entirely filled with people who were totally serious all the time. Between Ashlyn and Finnschall's practical jokes and Devin and Kayla's light-hearted banter, there couldn't be eight more normal people anywhere. _Perhaps that's the key_, she thought to herself. _Maybe it's more about being the best version of yourself, rather than the best version of a Jedi_.

"Anyway, children," Jens smiled, "there are two Jedi here waiting for their assignment."

"Ah yes," Devin smiled wryly, "I knew I was here for a reason."

"We've found out some more from our Jedi holocrons," Liina said. "Jens found out that what few Sith Holocrons the Jedi had gathered were taken by Darth Krayt back to a place called 'Moraband'."

"None of us knew what Moraband was, unfortunately," Ashlyn continued, "even Runice. It wasn't until we came across a galaxy map from back in the days of the Clone Wars that we realised what it was."

"Korriban," Ferros said solemnly. "The birthplace of the Sith."

"So it's been said," Runice replied. "We're not entirely sure of that. There's some evidence to suggest that the Sith were once a species, not an Order like the Jedi. We just don't know. A lot of this old information is long lost to the galaxy, and we'd need to recover it to have any idea."

"You want us to go to Korriban, don't you…" Ferros said after quickly scanning Runice's surface thoughts.

"We'd like you to take the Stealth X-Wings and take a look first," Runice explained. "We don't know exactly whether it's been repopulated by the Sith or not, so if it's obvious there are Sith on the planet then leave immediately before you're spotted."

"Korriban is a Sith tomb-world," Kayla added, finally finding her serious streak again. "Even without any live Sith on it, it's still a horribly dangerous place. The dead whisper strongly there."

"That's why we're sending both of you there," Devin concluded for Kayla. "The Sith Holocrons will likely be in what remains of the old academy. Don't bother looking in the tombs, the Sith are incapable of leaving a tomb alone if there's anything of power in it."

"Just make sure there's no Sith there, and if there isn't then quickly look in the old academy for the holocrons and then come straight back," Kayla said. "Don't do anything more than that, we don't want to risk losing either of you."

"Korriban is such an important world to the Sith though," Byz began to ask. "If what we know about Dromund Kaas is correct, then Korriban is close to it. Wouldn't it make logical sense for the Sith to have gone looking for the holocrons already?"

"Of course it makes sense," Kayla smiled. "But how do we know for sure? If there's a chance we can take some of their knowledge away from them before they even know it's there, I think it's a risk well worth taking, don't you?"

Byz looked a little concerned. "I suppose so, master."

"Be mindful of your thoughts," Devin told him. "Doubt leads to fear."

"We'll be fine, Master Rokanh," Ferros smiled. "I'll look after him."

"And I've told you a thousand times, Ferry, it's Devin. Not 'Master Rokanh'. That's what I make politicians and soldiers call me, not my friends."

"You know you sound more and more like Kyle Katarn every day, Dev," Kayla teased.

"Kyle could grow a beard," Jens mocked, stroking his own greying goatee, which matched his long, shoulder-length greying brown hair.

"Alright, I get it, I get it," Devin said. "So are you two clear on your assignment?"

"Crystal," Ferros nodded. "Take Stealth-X's, scout for Sith, check academy grounds for holocrons, report back."

"You forgot 'never leave each other's sight', and 'don't listen to the dead'," Kayla warned. "I'm not kidding about the dead. You'll see." She reached out to Ferros using the Force and gave her the equivalent of a hug. "May the Force be with you."

* * *

Ferros and Byz arrived in the Horuset system and immediately activated their ships' cloaking devices. For countless years the military and associated industries had claimed that cloaking such a small ship would be very difficult at best, if not totally impossible. Of course, they had done it successfully many times on larger ships of Corvette size and upwards, but said that the power draw on a cloaking device for a snubfighter would be more than it could handle. Devin's fellow Corellian, Creo, who was fast becoming a very in-demand engineer, was responsible for creating the cloaking devices, along with everything else on the Jedi's X-Wings. If the praise for recreating an ancient and primitive snubfighter like the X-Wing and making them outperform any of the current military fighters wasn't enough, then giving them full stealth ability would certainly have to be.

Ferros ran several scans, all coming up negative or close enough to it. "There's nothing here," she told Byz through the ship's comms. "It's totally deserted."

"_I've never seen anything like it,"_ Byz replied. _"It feels…wrong, this place. It even looks wrong."_

"I guess Master Kayla wasn't kidding," Ferros replied. "Well, let's take the ships in and have a look at the planet."

"_I've got the coordinates for the Valley of the Dark Lords. Sending them to you now."_

The coordinates appeared on Ferros' monitor, and pointed to a place on the very edge of where the light of Korriban's sun Horuset struck the planet. Ferros smirked as she realised they would have twenty-eight hours of exploring to do before it got dark again, and most likely even _more_ scary than it already felt, even from orbit.

They set the ships down in a semi-secluded spot between some ancient-looking stone pillars which had long ago collapsed. There was nowhere else they could see nearby which had any sort of cover whatsoever, as the planet's strong winds and sandy desert had reclaimed most of the structures. As they disembarked, both Jedi immediately felt the strong call of the dark side tugging at them mercilessly.

"Why would the Sith abandon this place?" Byz asked. "It's so strong in the Force, you'd think they'd be lining up to take a look around."

Ferros shivered; it was very cold on Korriban, much colder than the desert landscape suggested it would be. It reminded her of an evil Tatooine, but with only one distant sun rather than Tatooine's two closer ones. But it wasn't just the temperature that made her shiver.

"You'd think so. There must be a reason, though. Maybe it's just too obvious for them to come here, or maybe they've forgotten it."

Byz began walking off towards what he assumed was the old Sith Academy. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's go check it out."

The two young Jedi trekked onwards. Ferros could swear she was hearing voices whispering inside her head. She remembered Kayla's advice to ignore the dead, and decided immediately that it was wise to heed it. After a few kilometres of walking they reached the remnants of the Sith Academy, which was almost completely ruined from what they assumed was a Republic bombing. Liina hadn't managed to gather too much information on what had happened here, but from what she knew it was originally built more than ten thousand years ago, by whom nobody remembered. It was rebuilt years later by a fallen Jedi named Revan, then rebuilt again three hundred years later by a Sith Emperor once named Vitiate. The academy had again fallen after the Great Galactic War and was forgotten for thousands of years, despite the many Sith Lords that had reoccupied the planet since. Liina had discovered the existence of several Sith Holocrons through her research, and their last known locations were this very academy. She couldn't be sure, but the Jedi Council insisted it was worth checking the place to ensure that the Sith didn't rediscover any of the ancient mysteries of their predecessors.

From what Liina had uncovered lately, it seemed that the Sith very nearly either destroyed the entire galaxy or assumed control of it several times. According to Jedi holocrons that had been found, Vitiate had been responsible for decades of war between the Sith Empire and the Republic. He had known of rituals that prolonged his life to more than a thousand years, and had annihilated the Republic to within an inch of its life several times, taking hundreds and hundreds of years of careful planning to achieve his goals. Thousands of years later, the Sith Lord Darth Bane had rediscovered the holocron of Darth Revan and began a thousand-year plan to destroy the galaxy from the inside. Shortly after Darth Bane's plan finally came undone with the defeat of the Galactic Empire and its ruler Darth Sidious, another Sith Lord Darth Krayt had come along and destroyed the Republic again, this time taking out the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and reinstating the Empire. The Council had felt that if these new Sith ever came into ownership of any holocrons that could reveal such monstrous secrets to them, then they may very well succeed again.

Ferros knew it was true, but it still made no sense to her that there was any possibility that the Sith hadn't looked here on Korriban yet. Even _she_ knew that Korriban was a Sith world, and if she knew it then the Sith must. If they'd had time to repopulate Dromund Kaas and spread their teachings, they must have already come here. But all the same, she understood that it was imperative that the Jedi know as much as they can about what they're dealing with, so they had to be sure.

After several hours of wandering the inside of the old academy and finding nothing but ancient and broken computer terminals, lots of stone and some discarded remnants of armour and weaponry, they came to a room that was sealed off, and strangely enough the only place they hadn't checked yet. Ferros sensed great power coming from the room beyond, so thick with darkness that it felt as though her senses were being choked.

"If there's anything in this place at all, it's in this room," she told Byz. "I can almost smell the dark side coming from it."

"No kidding," Byz agreed. "Well, it's a good thing it's blocked by this enormous piece of stone," he added sarcastically. "What's it weigh, you reckon? About three hundred tonnes?"

"Size is nothing," Ferros grinned at him. "Come on, we can shift this, no worries."

Byz shrugged dismissively, then both Jedi closed their eyes and focused on the massive door. After several seconds of pure concentration, nothing had even budged.

"No worries," Byz smiled wryly. "We can shift this."

"Shut up and try harder," Ferros grumbled.

They tried again, beads of sweat quickly forming on their foreheads with the strain, but still nothing happened.

"Which way are you pushing it?" Ferros asked in frustration.

"Left," Byz answered with a confused expression. "Why?"

Ferros sighed and chuckled. "I was pushing it to the right. Let's try nudging it forwards slightly on the right side."

They tried yet again, and this time the stone door slid heavily inwards, only budging a couple of feet, but enough for them to get through. "Voilà," Ferros smiled happily.

The smile didn't last long though, as the room was completely bare. There wasn't even a refresher or a bed or even a chair.

"Something was once in here though, there's too much residual Force energy for there not to have been," Byz muttered an answer to a question unspoken.

Ferros closed her eyes and wandered slowly around the room, trying to remember what the Jedi holocrons felt like in the Force. Meanwhile, Byz checked out the stone door. After a few minutes Ferros stopped and opened her eyes again.

"There were three holocrons in this room once," she proclaimed. "They must have been removed recently for them to leave an impression this strong in the Force."

"Check this out," Byz waved her over. "This stone, it's out of place. Looks relatively new compared to the rest of this place. The markings on the floor sort of suggest that there was once another door here, but it was blown apart. Probably by an explosive of some sort. Check out the scorch marks."

Ferros leaned closer and saw that he was right. "Then the person who took the holocrons must have been someone who's not all that strong in the Force," she surmised. "This stone looks a lot bigger than whatever door was here before. Why would you need explosives for that?"

"But if it was someone who's not very strong, how did they get the bigger stone in place?" Byz asked.

They both thought about the answer for a few moments before Ferros responded. "Maybe they had to come back and close it all up once they got stronger. We have to tell the Council about this."

"One sec," Byz said, noticing something out of the corner of his eye. "What's that?" He reached down and started tugging at something stuck under the stone door. "Gimme a hand with this, would you?"

Ferros lifted the door slightly as Byz removed the object, which appeared to be a gauntlet of some kind, but completely crushed and useless.

"It's Mandalorian," Ferros gasped. "What the bloody hell was a Mandalorian doing on _Korriban_ for?"

"Maybe whoever it was just happened to be wearing it?"

"I don't think so," Ferros shook her head. "Mandalorians are the only ones who wear Mandalorian armour."

"You don't wear any."

Ferros frowned at him. "This isn't the time, Byz. I'm telling you, this could only have belonged to a Mandalorian."

"Can't you tell who it belonged to by its colours or something?" Byz suggested.

"Sometimes." Ferros took the gauntlet and examined it more closely. "It's an older design…" she squinted in concentration as she turned it in her hands, but then shrugged in defeat. "It's too badly damaged, and all the colour has come off. I can tell it was no common soldier, but beyond that, it's impossible. You'd need to be Mandalorian _and_ a bloody Kiffar to know any more."

"Well I doubt we're gonna find any more in here. Let's go back to the ships and report to the Council."

As they were heading back out to the Valley of the Dark Lords, Ferros noticed a message scratched into the back of the exit door.

"Byz, look at this," she said as she lit one of her two lightsabers. Both her sabers had long, cylindrical metallic hilts and a slanted emitter shroud, with a rubberised grip at the top near the shroud. The one she lit had a violet blade, while the other was a darker purple. Byz had only the one lightsaber, which had a much longer hilt than Ferros'. It had black rubber strips running vertically up the hilt, a thickened black emitter casing with a full shroud and a sulphuric yellow blade.

"What does it say?" Byz scratched his chin with his free hand. "Is that High Galactic? I can only read Aurebesh."

"You're a bit of a philistine, you know," Ferros teased. "Someday you're gonna have to learn High Galactic."

Ferros murmured to herself as she read the message in her mind, while Byz noticed something that he _could_ read.

"These look like coordinates," he mumbled. "I'm certain of it. And it doesn't look like it's far from here, either. I'll copy this whole thing to my datapad."

"Okay I've got it," Ferros said, having read the whole message. "It says, 'We have gathered on Dromund Kaas. Soon the Empire shall be rebuilt, and all shall perish in the wake of the Lords of the Sith. If you would assume the power of the dark side, you will join us', then it lists those coordinates."

"You'd think they'd make it easier for dark Jedi scum to read," Byz snorted.

"Maybe it's a test for them, to weed out the weak and the stupid from the Sith ranks."

"I suppose that makes sense," Byz nodded, deactivating his lightsaber. "In any case, we better report this to the Council. We can speculate later."

* * *

Back on Coruscant, the Jedi Council had gathered in anticipation of Byz and Ferros' call, which came through a timely five minutes after they'd all sat down.

"_Masters," _Byz and Ferros bowed. _"We've got good and bad news for you."_

"Let's start with the good news, then," Devin replied cheerfully.

"_We've found out the Sith haven't reoccupied Korriban, and we found this as well."_

The message from the academy suddenly appeared in place of Ferros and Byz's holograms.

"Are these the coordinates to Dromund Kaas?" Liina asked with excitement.

"_We think so, Master Hriyek," _Byz answered. _"But we'll need you to confirm it. The message certainly seems to suggest it, although I must confess that Ferry had to read it for me."_

"I'll get right on it as soon as I can," Liina replied with a curt nod. "And you really ought to learn the High Galactic alphabet, Byz."

"So what's the bad news?" Lenny asked.

"_Well, the academy is empty. It looks like it's been abandoned ever since the Great Galactic War, at least by the Order of the Sith Lords. Ferry better tell you about this part."_

Ferros cleared her throat. _"We felt the residual Force energy of three different holocrons, all Sith. We think they were moved recently, perhaps in the last decade or so, but it's impossible to tell for sure. We have to make assumptions here, but we think the person who took the holocrons wasn't all that strong in the Force."_

"I assume you have some evidence to back up your assumption?" Runice said.

"_Yes, Master Arriah,"_ Ferros nodded, wrapping herself tighter in her black cloak in an effort to protect her from the strong, cold winds. _"We had to move aside a huge, heavy stone door to get in, and once we did we found black scorch marks, as well as heavy scratching on the floor that seems to indicate there was once a thinner door seal. We think the person who broke in had to blow the original door up, which wouldn't make sense for a Jedi or Sith because heavy as the new door was, it was pretty easy to move aside. Anything lighter would have been easy."_

"That doesn't make sense," Runice said as she crossed her legs. "If they were too weak to move the first seal, how could they then replace it with something bigger and heavier?"

"_I wasn't sure at first either, master, but our assumption is that they had to come back with help in order to seal it up again. Either way, I think the Sith are trying to fool us into thinking they're much more powerful than they really are."_

"That's a pretty dangerous assumption, Ferry," Ashlyn frowned. "They have the holocrons, after all."

"I think we're jumping to conclusions," Finnschall countered. "Ferry didn't say she thought the Sith were weak, only that they were trying to fool us into thinking they're much more powerful than they really are. It would explain the recent so-called 'Cold War'."

Ashlyn considered her second-cousin's theory. "You might be right about that. It's a whole lot more information than we had before, in any case."

"You've done well, young ones," Jens smiled.

"_There's more, Master Blekkard,"_ Ferros continued. _"We found this stuck under the new door-stone."_

Ferros held up the gauntlet she'd found, crushed and completely removed of any usefulness it once had.

"That's Mandalorian, isn't it?" Ashlyn observed. "What can you tell from it?"

"_Like I said to Byz before, the colours are gone from years of decay so it's impossible to tell who it belongs to unless you're a Kiffar or some other person with psychometric powers. The only thing I can tell for sure is that it doesn't belong to a common soldier, and it's old enough that it looks at least two armour generations out of date."_

"Thanks, Ferros, and thanks Byz," Kayla smiled sweetly at them. "Come back to Coruscant as soon as you can. I don't want you two staying on that dreadful planet any longer than you need to."

"_Yes, master,"_ they both said, shortly before a muffled cry was heard and the hologram abruptly disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Lenny spat.

Devin already had his eyes closed and was stretching out his senses. It took him a few moments to respond. "Ferros is in trouble."

* * *

Ferros wiped the blood running from the corner of her mouth and watched in anger and despair as the man – obviously quite a powerful Sith Lord – held Byz up by his throat, suspended a metre off the ground. He was only about an inch taller than Byz, but was quite a great deal more solidly built. His bald head reflected the setting sun and partially hid his cruel smile behind a veil of refracting light. Ferros squinted and snarled, the voices of many dead Sith echoing within her head, desperate to be heard.

"Let him go. Now."

She lit her two lightsabers and assumed Juyo guard, carefully probing the man's defences. Byz's eyes welled with tears as he got perilously close to unconsciousness. Ferros grabbed the man's wrist with the Force and crushed it as hard as she could, then quickly released it. The grip itself had no impact at all on him, but releasing it again afterwards gave Byz the opportunity he'd needed to escape. He activated his yellow saber and quickly sliced backwards, skimming the man's chest.

"I am Darth Artaith," the man said with a grim smile, doing his best not to seem bothered by Byz's slash to the chest , "and you will come with me, _girl_."

Artaith seemed to spit the word 'girl' as though it tasted terrible to him. Ferros just laughed bitterly a couple of times in response.

"I don't think so," she replied. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to make me."

"That was my intention," the man said coldly, his grim smile turning slowly into a wicked and sadistic one.

Moving faster than either of the two Jedi could even detect, Artaith had closed the gap between them, grabbed Ferros' throat and punched her hard in the stomach four times. Byz started swinging his lightsaber, but the Sith simply drew his crimson saberstaff and blocked everything. Ferros' lightsabers came flying out of her hands then, summoned by Artaith even as he fought off Byz and held her immobile all at the same time. The sabers flew several dozen metres away and deactivated in mid-air as Ferros struggled to try and release the Sith's hand from her throat. Unable to focus well enough to use the Force, she swung her right leg up and hooked it around Artaith's arm, giving herself some leverage. Then she reared her left foot back and kicked the side of his head as hard as she could. Artaith dropped Ferros immediately and fell to the ground, nearly taking Byz out in the process.

Ferros collapsed and drew enormous gulps of air as quickly as she could to try and stabilise her breathing again as she saw Artaith getting back to his feet and making his way over to her. Panicking, she called her lightsabers to her hands as she got up, but Artaith stopped their progress a few metres short of her and they fell back to the ground harmlessly. As the Sith grinned at her again, Ferros ripped his lightsaber from his own grasp and threw it at him as hard as she could. The saber spun neatly and quickly at him and she used the time to gather her own sabers back and charge straight at him. Knowing he was now in a whole world of trouble, Artaith leapt up into the air to avoid the thrown saberstaff, but found himself kicked hard in the back by Byz, and fell to the ground hard.

Ferros and Byz jumped over in a single leap and landed next to the Sith Lord. Ferros picked him up using the Force and held him in the air as Byz called the Sith's lightsaber to his hand. Artaith didn't seem at all bothered by this; in fact, he just grinned at Ferros and licked his lips.

"I think perhaps that your boyfriend is getting in the way of my pleasure. He will no longer trouble us," Artaith announced, and as if on cue, Byz fell to the ground unconscious.

"Byz!" Ferros cried out. "What have you done to him? Answer me!"

"Now we have privacy," Artaith said, his grin seemingly etched onto his face like bad cosmetic surgery.

Ferros looked at Byz lying on the ground next to her and scanned him with the Force quickly to ensure he was only unconscious. However, it was a mistake that Artaith had counted on.

"Pathetic."

With the same unfathomable speed as before, Ferros found herself suspended in mid-air again and with Artaith barely a centimetre from her face. She could feel his hot, dry breath on her face as he licked his lips again. She began summoning the Force to try and free herself, but was hit in the guts again before she could. Ferros, being Mandalorian, was actually a bit amused and slightly impressed with the punch.

"That really hurt," she laughed.

"You dare mock me, little Jedi girl?" Artaith queried. "I despise your kind."

"What kind is that? Jedi?"

Artaith laughed hoarsely, like a smoker. "No," was all he said, then he roughly grabbed Ferros' breasts before punching her even harder in the face. "Women."

Ferros was beyond amusement by this point, but was still coherent and calm enough not to get carried away. "So what are we doing here?" she asked. "I like a bit of rough foreplay too, but usually I'm the rough one. Is there a point to this?"

"You sicken me, Jedi," Artaith growled. "As I said before, you will come with me."

"And if I don't?"

Artaith brought his face uncomfortably close to hers again and grinned with a subtle chuckle. "Then you will wish you had done it the easy way. I do not like women, and I was not tasked with your comfort, only your capture. So you have two choices, _girl_. You can come with me now, or I can beat you and rape you, and then you will come with me anyway."

Ferros felt sick as he spoke. It could have been the multiple blows she'd received to the gut, but she doubted it. Nothing repulsed her quite as much as the thought of this bald-headed, dirty-looking Sith Lord having his way with her. Then it hit her.

"What about him?" she asked, gesturing with her nose towards Byz, still unconscious on the ground.

Artaith snorted. "He would be more useful to us, in my opinion, but he is not part of my mission. He can rot here for the rest of his miserable life for all I care."

"That's what I thought," she grinned. "Okay, let's go then."

Artaith grabbed her by the throat again and dragged her away with his impossibly strong grip. Ferros choked and spluttered as her larynx was crushed, and clawed desperately at his wrist as she was dragged along the ground. Gathering the Force, she grabbed his arm as hard as she could and electrified it with Force lightning, and Artaith dropped her immediately. He withdrew his arm reflexively, and Ferros used the opportunity to launch him dozens of metres away with a powerful Force push. Even as he landed and rolled, Ferros was already on top of him, knowing she'd have to be quick and decisive if she was going to get herself and Byz to safety.

She kneeled down on top of Artaith, pressing her right shin across his throat. She kneebutted him in the head twice and punched him as hard as she could half a dozen times, hoping it would daze him a little. It did, and she quickly got up and called her lightsabers back to her hands again. As she was about to strike, she felt her feet fall away from her, and she landed on her back; more specifically on some stone fragments from one of the pillars.

"Spast!" she cursed loudly, and got to her feet again, ignoring the pain.

Just as she was about to attack again, she realised that Darth Artaith had gone, and he'd obviously taken Byz with him because Byz was nowhere to be seen either.

"Double spast!" she said, and spat saliva at the sandy ground.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Byz was taken, by a Sith,"_ Ferros explained to the Jedi Council via holo. _"He came out of nowhere."_

"He probably used Korriban's natural dark side alignment to cloud your senses, Ferry," Kayla told her. "What happened exactly?"

"_He moved so quickly we couldn't even sense him,"_ the girl explained. Her normally delicate, pretty features were swollen and bruised badly, her long brown hair untied and messed up. _"He knocked Byz unconscious and held me in stasis. You were right about the voices too, Master Kayla. I could hardly concentrate with all that going on at the same time."_

"Do you know what he looked like?" Runice asked. "I may be able to identify him."

Ferros nodded as the fierce Korriban winds blew her hair messily to her right, covering her face before she hastily brushed it out of the way.

"_He was tall, maybe an inch or two taller than Byz, but really solid. Much bigger than Byz. He was bald, with a square jaw, and he seems to really dislike women, even more than he disliked Jedi."_

"Artaith," Runice frowned.

"_That's the one!"_ Ferros exclaimed. _"His breath was horrible."_

"Unfortunately his breath is one of his more pleasant qualities," Runice said. "He's a Dark Council member. Byz might already be dead."

"_With all due respect, I doubt it, Master Arriah," _Ferros shouted over the howling wind. _"For one thing, I can still feel Byz in the Force. Secondly, he said he only wants me, and he wants me alive. It's clearly a trap to capture me instead."_

"We have to send someone to help her," Lenny said. "She can't go in there alone."

"_Is there a fleet nearby? I could use some military assistance."_

Kayla shook her head. "There's a fleet in the Raxus system, but we can't ask for help from them."

"_Why not?"_ Ferros asked in disbelief.

"Because there's enough pressure on us in the senate already," Ashlyn explained. "The Republic will never allow us to take part of a fleet to recover a single Jedi."

"We can send someone to help you," Kayla offered. "A Jedi. Lenny could go."

Ferros shook her head vehemently. _"It'll take too long. By the time anyone else gets here either Artaith will have come back for me or Byz will be on his way to Dromund Kaas. If that happens, we can kiss him goodbye. If Dromund Kaas has anything like the number of Sith on it that we suspect it does, there's no possibility of getting him back by then. And if Artaith is going to come after me anyway, then I may as well just go straight in after him."_

"No!" Kayla warned. "Why play into his hands like that? You said yourself that he wants _you_, not Byz."

"_And as I said, Master Kayla, if I let him go, Byz could end up on the Sith Capital. I won't abandon him like that. He's my best friend."_

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Runice told her. "If they want you so badly, they'll keep Byz alive until you're captured. We don't intend to lose _anyone_, Ferry, but to do that we need you to be patient."

Ferros thought for a few moments, then shook her head. _"It's too risky. I'm going after Byz right now."_

Before any of the masters could object, Ferros cut the transmission.

"I'm going to help her," Runice said. "I'll take my Padawan with me."

"I don't think that's wise, Runice," Kayla advised, folding her arms across her chest. "If the Sith are after Ferry, there's a good chance they'll take Gavin too."

"Good point," Runice conceded. "I hadn't considered that. You're right, Gavin should stay here."

"May the Force be with you," Kayla said warmly. "And make sure you take an X-Wing. Anything else won't get there in time. I'm going to tell the Chancellor about all this."

Kayla entered the Chancellor's office and as usual, made a mental note that it was still very sparsely decorated. _Good,_ she thought to herself. _It's not getting to his head yet._

"Kayla Talus," Makrus Golan smiled, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of embrace, his three-fingered Ansionian hands poking out from the sleeves of his regal blue robe. "What can I do for you today?"

The two embraced quickly before getting down to business. Kayla explained the situation on Korriban, and what Byz and Ferros had found.

"Oh dear," Golan said, sitting back heavily in his chair. "That's not good at all. I always liked little Ferros. She's a good girl, but very Mandalorian sometimes."

"No kidding," Kayla agreed. "She's a bit like I was not so long ago."

"It seems like yesterday, doesn't it," Golan sighed. "I was just entering office after Jaru's term was up, the Jedi were recruiting more and more little younglings and the Chiss War was slowing down to a halt."

"Only a few things have changed, Makrus," Kayla smiled. "The Order is still growing, your term still has quite some time left, and the Chiss are still largely leaving us alone."

"This is quite true," Golan agreed. "Sometimes it's hard to see the bigger picture when there are so many little obstacles in your way. In any case, I think knowing this information about Dromund Kaas will greatly benefit our intelligence network."

"I hope so," Kayla sighed. "I just wish it would help our cause in the senate. I can't believe they won't take the Sith threat seriously."

"Unfortunately, the Sith are wise enough to let the Chiss take the blame for everything."

"Which brings me to another point, if you don't mind hearing me talk some more," Kayla started.

"Of course."

"It's this 'Cold War'," Kayla said, using her fingers to emphasise the quote. "It has the whole Order worried. We think the Sith are responsible for quite a lot more than-"

"I hope you weren't about to justify another unprovoked attack, Master Talus."

The interruption came from Taneel Versca, who had just stepped into the office. She wore a typically Kuati dress: regal, but suggestive. She was tall – around six feet, and thin, with model good-looks. She had features that were typical for most Kuati women, complete with emphasised high cheek bones and outrageously over-styled dark brown hair.

"Senator Versca," Kayla faked a smile. "What a lovely surprise."

"A pleasure as always, Master Talus," Versca curtsied.

"Master Talus and I were discussing a new discovery the Jedi have made on Korriban," Golan said quickly before there was any chance for an awkward silence.

"I do so enjoy a good fairy tale," Versca said, rubbing her hands together as if staring at a delectable treat.

Kayla scowled inwardly. _Fairy tale. Really._

"Yes," Golan continued. "It seems that the location of the Sith planet of Dromund Kaas has been revealed to us."

"Ah yes, the Sith," Versca said sarcastically. "One of my favourites."

"I don't mind if you don't believe me, Senator," Kayla smiled condescendingly. "But spare me the attitude."

"It's a good thing you aren't a senator, Master Talus, or that tongue of yours may get you into much bigger trouble than you'll ever see as a sorcerer."

"A sorcerer!" Kayla laughed. "Available for younglings' parties too, I should think. Always in tall, pointy hats with stars on them."

"You may mock all you like, Jedi," Versca smiled pleasantly with the practised face of a Core-world senator, "but if you think I will allow your 'discovery' to prevent us pursuing peace with the Chiss Ascendancy, you are gravely mistaken. Your warmongering tactics will not last long enough to cause any more death or financial loss for the Republic, and I will make sure of it in the senate. Mark my words."

"Oh believe me, Versca, I'll mark your words," Kayla smiled sweetly and totally sarcastically. "I do so love it when you threaten the people who freed the Chancellor's homeworld. But I tire of this mouth-flapping nonsense. Talking is quite often a waste of precious energy. Good day, Senator Versca. I hope this part of your cycle ends promptly."

Versca's mouth dropped open in unuttered rage as Kayla stood on the tip of her toes to give Chancellor Golan a peck on his yellow Ansionian cheek.

"We can continue our discussion another time, Chancellor, when perhaps we have a little more privacy away from the ears of the common folk."

Kayla winked at Versca before leaving, and felt Golan stifle a pang of laughter through the Force.

* * *

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier, Kayla?" Golan asked.

The Chancellor had taken leave of his duties for the day and gone straight to the Jedi Temple, where Masters Jens Blekkard, Ashlyn Valos and Devin Rokanh joined Kayla and himself. They walked along an inner corridor inside the Temple ziggurat which ran north to south. On their left were Finnschall's Halls of Healing, on their right was the Reconciliation Quarter, which was more or less the 'public quarter' of the Temple, and housed the Order's administration, kitchens, member records and civilian law enforcement offices.

"It's about something we've sensed through the Force, something we haven't been able to sense clearly enough until recently," Kayla explained. "We think there's a plot in place to dethrone the Republic."

"It's strange you should say that," Golan said, "because after you left, Senator Versca elaborated to me about a plot _she_ sensed about the Jedi plotting to overthrow the Republic."

"And you believed her?" Ashlyn asked.

"Of course not, Master Valos," Golan laughed. "It was utter, utter garbage. But unfortunately, it does make a good deal of sense, from a certain point of view."

"How so?"

"Well, the Sith have only revealed themselves to the Jedi, have they not? Nobody else has ever met one apart from a few soldiers."

Kayla and the other masters were starting to see a pattern forming.

"Let me guess," Devin grinned. "We're to continue talking about the threat of the Sith, gradually asking for more money and more control over the military and eventually cause an insurrection and assume control of the senate?"

"Precisely," Golan answered, unflustered by Devin's correct guess of every detail.

"She senses that, does she?" Jens laughed. "What a remarkable lady. With soothsaying powers of that magnitude, who needs us anyway? Not even _we_ realised we were going to do that."

"Don't worry about Versca," Golan assured the masters. "Not yet, anyway. I need to remain impartial, as Chancellor, but I doubt she will ever gain the recognition required to have any real impact."

"We're not so sure about that," Devin said. "This is where the _actual_ plot steps in."

Golan flared his singular nostril in an Ansionian confused expression.

"We think the Sith are behind everything that's transpired so far," Kayla explained. "The Chiss, the war, everything."

She came to a halt, and the other masters along with Golan all stopped along with her.

"We think the ultimate goal is to weaken the Republic military forces using the Chiss, weaken the Jedi and public opinion using people like Jarvis and Versca, and then the Sith will step in and take control afterwards. Public opinion of the Jedi Order and the senate has waned pretty badly recently."

"Yes," Golan agreed with a nod. "After Jarvis announced that Ord Mantell was leaving the Republic, quite a few worlds went with it. I remember feeling quite sorry for poor Jaru. He had to face all of that, and people still think that's why he stepped down as Chancellor."

"People like Jarvis are dangerous," Devin said. "It's why we think Versca is too. Versca holds real material power in the senate. Kuat is a big money spinner, and along with their shipyards, they'd do a great deal towards crumbling the Republic all by themselves if they leave."

"What we think," Ashlyn continued, placing a hand on Golan's shoulder, "is that ideally, she'll try to remove the Jedi, either have us all arrested or killed, most likely. After we're gone, she's free to ruin your reputation enough to call a vote of no confidence, and have herself instated."

"And you think she's controlled by the Sith?" Golan asked, starting to piece the whole thing together.

"Absolutely," Jens confirmed. "There can be no doubt. And don't think for a second that she won't use your Ansionian heritage against you. The fact that you're so close to us is something she can and will exploit before she's done."

Golan was speechless. It all made so much sense now that it was laid out in front of him. When Versca had explained her version of it, it was only just viable. It sounded a bit ridiculous, but there was enough credence to it that it somewhat made sense. This, though…Golan could almost see it happening in front of his eyes.

"Are you okay, Makrus?" Ashlyn asked, her red Togruta hand squeezing his shoulder gently.

"Yes…yes, I'm fine, thankyou Master Valos," he answered hesitantly, clapping his hand on top of hers in a gesture of reassurance. "The reality of our situation just hit me suddenly, that's all. I wish I had foresight like yours, sometimes," he smiled warmly, like someone's kindly grandfather.

"The essence of it," Kayla said, "is that basically, watch out for Taneel Versca and people like her. They're only out to stir up trouble, and they're not to be trusted. The Republic needs to remain strong if we're to survive this, and we can't do that by dividing our people or becoming complacent. The Sith are in possession of many Sith Holocrons, and we have no idea how many they number."

"Yes…" Golan agreed, his eyes glazed over. "This is most terrible…you know, I think it would be in our best interests if we set up dedicated communications between my office and the Temple. We would be able to discuss such things at more length without raising the ire of people who believe I'm too close to the Order already."

"I think that would be a very good idea, Chancellor Golan," Jens smiled.

"I'll get on it right away then, in secret of course." Golan began walking off towards the exit. "Oh and masters," he added, stopping and turning around again. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of sending one of the Second Fleet's Corellian Interdictors from its post in the Raxus system and placing it in the Horuset system. Hopefully that will give Master Arriah plenty of time to intervene and assist little Ferros."

Kayla smiled to herself as Golan walked off. _I really hope that idiot Versca doesn't push him out of office. What a sensational person._

* * *

"_This is Captain Hansdorf hailing Jedi Hekla, come in Jedi Hekla."_

"This is Ferros Hekla, go ahead Captain."

"_Nice to hear your voice again, little Ferry. It's been too long."_

"Always a pleasure, Hansdorf," Ferros said with a smile to herself, despite the desperation and helplessness she felt knowing that Byz was in terrible danger. "What can I do for you?"

"_This time it's what I can do for _you_, little Ferry. Why don't you look directly up into the sky."_

Ferros did so, and saw a flashing object between the distant stars. It was clearly a large ship of some sort. _But what would a ship be doing all the way out here?_

"How is that possible?"

"_Chancellor Golan contacted Fleet Admiral Deugan directly, and asked that the _Prohibitor_ be placed in the Horuset system to prevent anyone fleeing that old Sith Rock you're on."_

"An interdictor cruiser?" Ferros asked rhetorically. "That's brilliant!"

"_We had to leave in a bit of a hurry though, so I'm afraid we don't have many troops aboard, not enough to be of any use to you anyway. I'm sorry, Ferry."_

"It's okay, this is Korriban, anyway. I doubt your troops would last too long. An interdictor is all I wanted."

"_Then consider my debt to you repaid, Ferry. Whoever has Jedi Akkon won't make it ten feet without being disabled if they try and leave. You have my word."_

"There was never a debt, Captain," Ferros smiled. "We're comrades, I'd die for any of our warriors."

"_You guys are a breed apart. If the proverbial ever hits the fan with the senate, I swear the Second Fleet will stand proudly alongside the Jedi Knights. It will never be said that we abandoned you."_

"Hopefully there's no fan then, Hansdorf. I'm gonna go find my best mate now, let me know if anything interesting happens, and may the Force be with you."

"_Will do, little Ferry. And may the Force be with you too."_

Ferros grinned widely as she deactivated her wrist comlink. _You legend, Chancellor Golan. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!_

With ten times the confidence she'd had a few minutes ago, Ferros Force pushed the heavy stone seal aside and stepped into the tomb of Marka Ragnos. She scanned the Force for Byz, and found him still alive but massively weakened, but definitely still on planet and inside the tomb. The whispers began almost instantly, and Ferros found herself trying to figure out what they were saying. She counted at least eight different voices all at once before she remembered Kayla's advice. 'Don't listen to the dead', she'd told them. _But if I block them out, I might not sense everything going on around me…that could be even worse in a place like this. The dark side is so strong here…_

She decided she would simply not heed their words. Focusing on Byz, she walked onwards using her violet and purple sabers for light. She heard a moaning sound coming from a few dozen metres ahead, around a corner. It was unlike anything she'd ever heard before. It was like a beast of some sort, but somehow almost sad sounding. It sounded desperate. She felt almost nothing in the Force at first, but then she expanded her senses to include a wider area and she felt it straight away. She stopped dead in her tracks as the moaning got louder and louder, then the source of the noise rounded the corner and saw her.

She could feel a faint dark side aura from the creature, but no vital signs. Nothing. Not even any brain activity or a heartbeat. Yet still it came, slowly edging itself closer to her, dragging its badly broken right ankle behind it as it shuffled along. It raised a blaster rifle and slowly brought it to aim as Ferros just stood perfectly still, horrified.

_It's human,_ she thought to herself. _But that's just not possible…humans can't survive like that. What the hell is going on in here?_

About twenty more of them suddenly rounded the corner, some holding weapons, all of them moaning like wounded beasts. The first creature levelled its rifle directly at the centre of Ferros' face. She just stood there dumbly, shaking her head in disbelief even as the blaster fired.

* * *

Runice's X-Wing landed next to Ferros and Byz's X-Wings comfortably despite the ferocious winds of Korriban's Valley of the Dark Lords. As soon as she alighted the fighter she scanned for the familiar Force presence that Ferros and her apprentice Gavin both shared – being from the same family – but with subtle differences that were easily distinguishable to her. She felt Ferros in one of the tombs nearby, and immediately recognised it as the tomb of Marka Ragnos: a Sith Lord who had died more than eleven thousand years ago, and one of the few to be able to manifest himself physically and maintain his consciousness after death. A cold shiver ran up her spine as she remembered her own experiences within that tomb, but she scolded herself and entered anyway, reminding herself that she was here to help Ferros.

First she noticed the heavy stone seal was already pushed aside and slipped through, igniting her dark purple saberstaff for a source of light. Within fifty metres of the entrance she noticed the bodies: all rotten and decayed. She knelt down to inspect them further, knowing what to expect already. Sure enough, the wounds were fresh. The first corpse had been sliced in half at the waist, and half its head was severed. The rest of the corpses from then on had all been stabbed through the face or had their heads sliced in half.

After what she knew was about three kilometres, she'd passed at least a thousand corpses, all with fresh wounds, and began to hear the familiar sound of moving lightsabers from up ahead. She began to jog, stepping between the fallen bodies as deftly as a dancer, as if they weren't even there. Before long she saw purple and violet light flashing off the walls, and after rounding another corner she spotted Ferros on her knees, collapsed in exhaustion, surrounded by dozens of corpses.

"Master Runice," she panted, her lightsabers dipping from her hands and superheating the stone floor. "I felt your presence when you arrived. It's good to see you."

Runice smirked. "After all the chopping you've done, I suppose it _would_ be good to see a friendly face."

"What are these things? They keep getting up unless you destroy their brains."

"They're called Korriban Zombies," she answered. "Corpses reanimated by the dark side of the Force."

"You've seen them before?"

"I was once a Sith too," she answered flatly. "Of course I have. I know enough about them to understand they're a waste of time as an army, too."

"Oh, I don't know," Ferros smiled. "I'm pretty tired."

"In an open space they'd be infinitely easier to fight, especially since you wouldn't have to worry so much about the horrible voices and claustrophobic dark side forces. Frankly I'm surprised you made it _this_ far without turning back."

"I suppose you're right." Ferros kept panting, her injuries from fighting Darth Artaith had taken a lot out of her, and taking out all the creatures had made it even worse.

"Let me take a look at you," Runice said, bringing her half-lit saberstaff closer to Ferros' face. The dark purple blade wasn't ideal, but it showed enough that she could see the heavy bruising and swelling on the young Jedi's face. She'd clearly used a healing trance, but her injuries were pretty extensive and there was only so much the trance could achieve in a short time.

"Sit still for a moment," Runice instructed. "I'm going to try something."

She sat in a meditative position and closed her eyes, deactivating her saberstaff.

"What are you doing?" Ferros asked.

"It's similar to the healing trance," she explained. "Technically, it's the opposite of a dark side ability known as Death Field. In its normal use, I'd transfer some of an enemy's life force to myself; sort of healing myself while injuring them. What I'm doing now is draining my own life force and transferring it to you."

"Master Runice…you shouldn't, you'll need it to fight Artaith."

"I'm not going to fight Artaith," she answered.

"You're not?" Ferros sounded confused. "Then why did you come?"

"I was planning on helping you fight, but now that I'm here I can sense a trap. I know Artaith, and I sense deception. He knows I'm coming, and he expects me to fight him. If I do, he'll probably try and take off with you somehow. This way, I can free Byz while you keep him occupied, and if he tries anything I'll be ready."

Before long Runice was done. Both girls felt far less than perfect health, but after a few minutes of the Jedi healing trance they were ready to press onwards.

"Not far now, we're almost at the sarcophagus room," Runice told Ferros.

"Good," Ferros said fiercely. "I can't wait to take that _shabuir_ down."

"Let's not rush into this," Runice said calmly. "Remember, he's a Dark Council member, and you're injured. This isn't going to be easy."

"I won't fail, especially not when Byz's life is at stake."

"Just don't try anything stupid," Runice warned. "He might want you alive, but he's still Darth Artaith. He hates nice people and he hates women even more. You're about as offensive as a person can be to him. The only thing he hates more is me. Don't think for a second that he won't just kill us all and make up a story about having no choice."

"I'm not scared of people like him," Ferros said, her squeaky, girly voice belying the confidence she spoke with.

Runice smiled and chuckled. "You remind me of Kayla so much sometimes. Such a tiny girl, but so fierce and so tough."

"Let's just see how tough I really am," she replied as the two Jedi reached another sealed door.

Ferros pushed it aside slightly using the Force, then slammed it hard, hard enough to shake the whole tomb a tiny fragment. Dust rained down on them as Darth Artaith grinned wickedly from behind Byz. The young Jedi Knight was held to an operating table by electrobinders, and his Jedi robes were all but destroyed, the tattered remnants of which were covered with what appeared to be scorch marks from electricity. He was barely conscious and through the Force he felt as though he was mere inches from death. The room itself was lit by several dozen glow rods, bathing the room in bright yellowish light. In the centre of the room was the sarcophagus of the ancient and powerful Sith Lord Marka Ragnos, the stone top seal of which was slightly ajar.

"Welcome," Artaith sneered. "As you can see, this is the ancient resting place of the great Sith Lord Marka Ragnos. Unfortunately, the artefacts have all been removed from this place long ago, and there is little left to gain anymore. But the dark side is very powerful here; here, you will perish."

Runice stepped forwards then and looked Artaith up and down.

"You were foolish to return to face me, Vorcyl," Artaith mocked. "You were weak when you were a Sith, and you have become so much weaker as a Jedi."

Runice smiled and gestured in a tickling motion with her left hand. "I'm not here to fight you, Artaith. I just came to observe."

Artaith began to shudder, eventually dropping to his knees. "Your tricks won't work on me, Vorcyl."

"I don't know," Runice chuckled. "They seem to be working pretty well right now. Does that feel nice? Can you stand up?"

Artaith fell to the floor and his body convulsed for a few moments, his breathing stuttered and heavy, his body covered in sweat, before he composed himself and stood up again.

"You cannot know how much I hate you, Vorcyl."

"Most men like it when I do that to them," Runice sighed. "Would you prefer that kind of pleasure to come from another man instead?"

Artaith growled like an animal, his face quickly going red with pure rage. "Your tricks…you're nothing more than a seductress. You're pathetic." He lit his crimson red saberstaff and dropped into Shien form.

"Oh I can do much more than that, I just wanted to see if it still worked," Runice mocked. "And by the way, it's not Vorcyl anymore, it's Runice. Master Arriah to you."

"To me, you are and always will be a tramp, as all women are. And now you will die, as you should have years ago on Csilla."

Artaith leapt at Runice from behind the operating table, clearing it easily. He was intercepted in mid-air by a Force push from Ferros which sent him hurtling into a wall so hard it left an impression.

"Mistake number one, mate," Ferros grinned as she took up a Juyo guard. "Never leave yourself open to attack."

Artaith screamed in fury as he got back to his feet. His eyes were glowing yellow and seemed to be almost aflame. The veins in his head bulged so much that Ferros thought for a moment he might have a stroke and she wouldn't have to bother fighting him.

"You're not even worthy of my words," he fumed as he Force choked Ferros, lifting her high off the ground.

Ferros retaliated with a flick of her wrists, sending her two sabers spinning through the air straight at him, forcing him to quickly duck out of the way and release her. Ferros fell to her feet again and grabbed her returning sabers before charging across the room, catching Artaith by the throat with her two forearms and slamming him into the wall. She'd caught him by surprise, and continued with a flurry of kicks at his chest and stomach that caused him to cough blood before he used the Force to swipe her aside. Ferros crashed into a broken statue, but recovered quickly and leapt at him again. Artaith was ready this time, and Ferros was met by a heavy punch that knocked her straight to the floor again.

She winced as she hit the ground hard, painfully landing on her left shoulder and dropping her lightsabers. She reactively blasted him with Force lightning, the force of her attack sending him hurtling across the room on his back. Ferros quickly called her sabers to her hands and sprinted over, but Artaith was already on his feet again and striking methodically with his saberstaff. Ferros blocked each blow, but the sheer power behind his strikes was almost overwhelming. She began deflecting the strikes slightly away with her twin blades rather than absorbing the entire force of each blow, but soon enough she found herself backed up against the sarcophagus. Artaith grinned cruelly as he prepared for a killing blow, but Ferros' blade-work was much faster than his and she quickly slashed across Artaith's torso, scoring a shallow cut that made him recoil in pain. She kicked him in the chest and he staggered backwards off-balance. As he hit the wall again, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the operating table was empty.

"You lose, Sith Lord," Ferros grinned smugly.

Artaith howled in anger as he saw Runice standing in the doorway supporting Byz. He began stomping his way towards them before Ferros' violet lightsaber hit the ceiling of the chamber, causing it to crumble and then collapse in front of him

"We haven't got much time," Runice said. "It won't hold him for long."

"You get Byz to his ship, I'll take care of Artaith," Ferros told her.

"No! It's too dangerous in here," Runice protested. "He was already pretty mad before. Now he's realised he's been deceived, and you just dropped a whole roof on his head. This whole place will collapse if he gets out of here before we do. Now let's _go!_"

Ferros looked back at the sarcophagus chamber hesitantly, then relented.

"Fine," she said. "Let me help you with Byz."

The two girls moved as fast as they could manage, taking it in turns to Force push the corpses of the Korriban zombies aside. They kept this up for several kilometres, not stopping for a break even once, until they eventually reached the entrance to the tomb. Both girls took huge gulps of air, revelling in the relative peace of the Valley of the Dark Lords.

"It almost feels _pleasant_ out here," Ferros remarked.

"Almost," Runice puffed. "Coruscant is much nicer though. We haven't got time, we have to go, Ferry. Artaith will be right behind us."

The two girls carried Byz all the way to his X-Wing, then hopped into their own and instructed their droids to take off. Ferros instructed Byz's droid Little to follow her trajectory off-planet, and as the three Jedi fighters broke free of Korriban's atmosphere she contacted Captain Hansdorf.

"_Little Ferry, how did you go down there?" _he asked as his hologram image took shape in front of Ferros.

"I'll tell you all about it once we're on board, Captain. For now, just plot a course back to the Raxus System so we can meet back up with the Second Fleet. Have the medbay prepared too."

"_Is everything okay?"_

"_Byz got hurt pretty bad, but he'll be okay," _Runiceadvised. _"Let's just get everyone on board the _Prohibitor_ and get out of here. I've had enough of this damn planet."_

"_I couldn't agree more, Master Arriah. Awaiting your arrival."_

"Little, just follow us to the _Prohibitor_'s hangar, okay?"

The little astromech droid whistled an affirmative and the three X-Wings proceeded on towards the _Prohibitor_.

* * *

"Master, can I talk to you about something?" Ferros asked.

"Sure," Runice smiled. "What's up?"

Ferros turned to face her, looking down at her filthy, ruined boots.

"Is Darth Artaith really a Dark Council member?"

Runice raised an eyebrow. "He was when I was with the Sith, I assume he still is. I guess he'd be dead otherwise."

"He seems a little…I dunno, weak?"

"I don't know if I'd call him weak, exactly-"

"For a Dark Council member, he didn't seem all that strong, though," Ferros said as she folded her arms across her chest, her long brown hair cascading messily over them. "I really expected him to be pretty much unstoppable, you know? A few months ago, I was still a Padawan. There's no way I should be able to hold my own against someone like him, let alone defeat him."

Runice frowned in contemplation, folding her own arms across her chest.

"I didn't want to think so, but maybe you're right," she relented. "The Sith are always competing for power, killing each other to make sure only the strong survive. If Artaith has survived all these years as a Dark Council member, then that can only mean that nobody else is strong enough to challenge him yet."

"If they're all weaker than him, they might not be as much of a threat as we thought," Ferros suggested.

"Let's not be too presumptuous," Runice said. "He still managed to capture Byz and injure you both pretty badly."

"Only after he'd caught us both by surprise, and even then he had to keep one of us out of the fight. He couldn't handle both of us at the same time too well, and both Byz and I passed the trials only recently. Artaith is meant to be pretty much your equivalent."

Runice put one hand to her chin and contemplated what Ferros was saying.

"I'm not suggesting we should attack Dromund Kaas or anything like that, not at all. All I'm saying is that maybe my theory about them not being as powerful as we thought might be true."

"It's quite possible," Runice agreed. "I never went to Dromund Kaas, and I hardly met any of the Sith. They never really even told me anything about their plans or anything, so it's hard for me to say for certain. I don't think they trusted me with that kind of information."

"But it's possible," Ferros insisted. "Maybe they're training too many new Sith and trying to overwhelm us with numbers; spreading themselves too thinly. Or maybe the Sith Emperor is trying to keep a lid on them all so they don't become more powerful than him. Either way, if I can be a challenge for a Dark Council member, they haven't got a chance against someone like you."

Runice frowned again and uttered a 'hmm' as she thought some more.

"It makes a lot of sense…I'm just worried about assuming too much. I don't want to become complacent, but I can't ignore the fact that you pretty much stopped Artaith on your own."

"With some help from you, Master," Ferros reminded her.

"All I did was make him mad. I didn't do any of the actual fighting, you did that on your own." Runice sighed loudly and put her hands on her hips. "Look, I think we're best off talking to the whole Council about this. Captain Hansdorf has a room prepared for us so we can speak to them in private. After that, I say we grab something to drink and wait for Byz to wake up."


	3. Chapter 3

"_Runice and Ferry,"_ Devin's hologram smiled. _"I sense that things have gone well on Korriban."_

"Yes, Master Rokanh," Runice dipped her head in reverence slightly. "Despite Ferros taking it upon herself to stop Darth Artaith against our wishes."

Ferros looked down at her ruined boots, avoiding eye contact with any of the masters.

"_That was pretty unwise, Ferry,"_ Kayla told her. _"I'm just glad Runice arrived in time."_

"Actually, Master Talus, I think there's a good chance Ferry could well have handled it on her own."

"_Then you have evidence to suggest that Ferry and Byz were right about the Sith not being as strong as we initially thought?"_ Lenny asked.

"Yes, Master Tanski," Runice confirmed. "When we reached Artaith deep in the tomb of Marka Ragnos, all I had to do was free Byz; Ferry did all the fighting herself. Admittedly, we didn't finish him off, but I have no doubt in my mind that Ferry could have done it alone had she been at full strength."

"_And what are your thought on this, Ferry?"_ Ashlyn asked.

"I think the Sith are spreading themselves too thinly in an effort to bolster their numbers quickly," Ferros explained. "Their training is suffering as a result. The only other explanation I can think of would be that the Sith Emperor doesn't want any of his minions to be stronger than him, but that wouldn't explain why they've chosen to ally themselves with the Chiss and go to war. If they were deliberately kept from being too powerful then they wouldn't be very effective. I think their inexperience and lack of knowledge is keeping them from putting their own power into perspective."

"_Then you're suggesting that they perhaps don't have as many holocrons as we thought?"_ Jens asked.

"There's no doubt they have _some_ holocrons," Ferros answered. "Otherwise they wouldn't be able to fight us at all. But our few encounters with them have shown us to be superior to them in terms of skill, and I think they've now got the idea into their heads that they need numbers quickly if they're going to challenge us."

"_Surely you're not suggesting that we attack Dromund Kaas while they're still weak?"_ Devin asked.

"Not at all, Master Rokanh," Ferry said, shaking her head. "That would be suicide. Even without proper training, their numbers would overwhelm us. What I'm suggesting is that we draw them out a bit by recapturing the systems lost to the Chiss."

"_A symbolic victory…something for the Republic to rally behind, and a show of strength against the Sith,"_ Lenny surmised. _"I like it."_

"_It's important that we ascertain exactly how powerful their Order is," _Jens agreed. _"Our first strike will more than likely cause them to bolster the defences of the other worlds they hold. They'll probably send more powerful Sith to help defend them, then we can send a Master in."_

"I'm happy with that," Runice nodded. "We just have to convince the senate that it's a good idea."

"_Leave that to me,"_ Kayla said. _"I'll speak to Chancellor Golan and Admiral Minvessen and see if we can come up with anything clever."_

"_Before you go, Runice,"_ Devin said. _"We think it would be a good idea to have somebody investigate that Mandalorian gauntlet Ferry and Byz found. We thought Gavin might be a good choice, seeing as he's Mandalorian."_

"Yes, by all means," Runice answered without hesitating. "Ferry has the glove with her right now, so we'll deliver it to Gav when we get back."

"_And give Byz our best wishes,"_ Ashlyn smiled.

"We certainly will," Runice smiled back, then the transmission was cut and the two girls were left alone once more.

Runice flicked her red lekku behind her shoulders and sighed. "I don't know about you, but I need to get out of these clothes. Come on," she gestured out the door. "I brought a change of clothes for you too."

* * *

Byz woke up to the sound of Ferros' squeaky-high Mandalorian accented voice and Master Runice Arriah's slightly deeper inflected Rimward accent and more sultry voice. He couldn't quite remember what had happened, and he certainly had no idea where he was right now, but he was very pleased that he could hear familiar voices. He opened his eyes and saw Ferros' pretty face looking down at him, then Runice's face came alongside with a big grin and a wink.

"How ya feeling?" the Twi'lek asked.

"Sore and forgetful," he answered. "Have I been drinking?"

The two girls laughed, then Ferros sat on the bed and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Where should I start?"

"I remember the fight with Artaith, I remember I was about to cut him open with his own saber and that's where it stops."

Ferros sighed and brushed Byz's blonde locks away from his face. "What would you do without me?"

"I see where this is going-"

"Hey, I'm telling the story here. You just lie there and be impressed," she smirked, poking him in the chest.

She recounted the story from when Byz fell unconscious all the way through to his waking up just now, including the details of the conversation with the Council.

"So you ended up taking care of him after all," Byz smiled. "Not bad. How did you get around his speed? I remember him being really, really fast."

"I can answer that," Runice grinned. "I blinded him with his own hatred. Pretty simple, the first thing I noticed when I first joined was that the Jedi are far more focused on how emotional responses can adversely affect you. All the Sith care about is how much power it can bring them. So all I did was make him mad, then Ferry interrupted his attack on me and that just annoyed him even more."

"Yeah, he really wasn't that strong. I think he must have been using Korriban to his advantage when he was fighting us two, 'cause I dunno about you but I was having a bit of trouble sensing him. All the same, I thought a Dark Council member would be more powerful than that."

"He's a Dark Council member?" Byz asked, clearly surprised.

"Yep, apparently."

"What I wanna know is why he was after you."

Runice folded her arms across her chest. "Me too, actually. He had Byz ready to stuff into a ship and take to Dromund Kaas, and he risked being killed to try and get you instead. It makes no sense."

"He did mention that he personally thought that Byz would make a better captive than me, but his mission was to capture me alive," Ferros explained.

"Strange that a Dark Council member would be despatched for something like that, and even stranger that the Dark Council wouldn't know why it was important," Byz thought out loud, scratching his chin.

"It does seem odd, doesn't it," Runice agreed. "Why you, Ferry? Why not someone else?"

"More importantly, how do they know about her?" Byz added.

"Maybe they think someone else would be too powerful for them to capture?" Ferros suggested.

"Maybe," Runice pondered, "but if they have the numbers to pull it off and they're hell-bent on having someone, I'm sure they could do it. If they wanted Kayla, for example, send enough Sith after her all at once and she wouldn't stand a chance. She's pretty incredible, but not _that_ incredible."

"I guess that gauntlet we found might give us some more answers. I just can't figure the chance of a Mandalorian being on Korriban…only Jedi and Sith would wanna come here."

"I hope I'm wrong about this, Ferry," Byz said, crumpling his face up in concern, "but a Mandalorian glove is found on Korriban, and immediately the Sith send a Dark Council member to capture a Mandalorian Jedi?"

Runice's eyes widened as she realised what he meant. "How did I not see that before? How did _all_ the Council not see it? We've been fools!"

Ferros raised an eyebrow and looked at the Twi'lek Jedi Master in total confusion.

"You said the seal to that room where the holocrons were once kept was heavier than the one that used to be there, right?"

"Right," Byz confirmed.

"So what if a Mandalorian broke into that room, perhaps following a lead of some sort?"

Ferros' other eyebrow raised up to join the first one as she figured it out. "The seal was easy to move for us, because we're Jedi. For a Mandalorian with little or no affinity at all with the Force…"

"Exactly," Runice clicked her fingers. "He would have used explosives to move the door initially, then come back to re-seal it after going through the holocrons and getting stronger."

"Does that mean that the Sith Emperor could be a Mandalorian?" Byz asked.

"It makes sense," Ferros confirmed. "The gauntlet was a few generations out, maybe fifteen years old? It's hard to say."

"That's around the time that the Emperor told me he'd found the first Sith holocron. It'd be almost sixteen years ago now. But let's not jump to any conclusions, it's more than likely that the Sith happened to know where the holocrons were being kept and hired a Mandalorian to collect them."

"I don't think it's a good idea for Gavin to be on that mission after all," Ferros frowned.

"If there's any possibility that the Sith Emperor is a Mandalorian, he shouldn't be there. In fact, I think it's pretty dangerous for the Mandalorians to even know about the gauntlet at all," Runice said.

Byz and Ferros nodded in agreement.

"Sixteen years ago, huh?" Byz thought to himself for a moment. "Either the Sith number in the thousands or they're only pretending to be weak."

"He's right," Runice snapped. "There's no way anyone could be inept enough to have sixteen years with Sith holocrons and the best they can throw at us is Artaith. No way. I doubt they're pretending though, I can tell you for sure that Artaith wasn't holding back."

"But in sixteen years you could train thousands and thousands of them, and they won't all stay weak forever," Ferros surmised. "Eventually they'll become strong."

"I need to speak to Kayla again, immediately. You guys stay here and keep each other company," Runice said before quickly dashing out the door.

Ferros and Byz exchanged worried looks.

"I think we're going to have some more work ahead of us," Ferros muttered as she stretched out on Byz's bed. "But first, you owe me a cuddle for saving your life again. Cuddle me, blondie."

* * *

"The secure channel between my office and the Temple is still being finalised, or I wouldn't risk another outing here," Golan told Kayla as Admiral Jake Minvessen arrived at the Jedi Temple.

"What did you want to discuss?" Minvessen asked them both, taking a seat on the stone-lined edge of a small garden on top of the Temple ziggurat.

"Master Arriah, Byz and Ferry have reported back from Korriban again," Kayla began. "They ran into another Sith Lord down there, and as Makrus already knows, they found evidence of Mandalorian involvement."

Kayla quickly recounted Ferros' report of the Mandalorian gauntlet and the Sith holocrons for Jake, who sat quietly and nodded occasionally, taking in everything.

"Anyway, this Sith Lord they encountered was a member of the Dark Council according to Master Arriah."

"I'm guessing that's the Sith equivalent of the Jedi Council," Jake assumed.

"Yes, but with an Emperor above them," she clarified. "The point is, Ferry pretty much handled it on her own, from what Master Arriah says, and we're all now under the impression that the Sith may be far less powerful individually than we thought."

"Individually?" Jake asked. "There's a 'but' coming, isn't there."

Kayla smiled ruefully. "They've had sixteen years to learn from Sith holocrons, and my guess is that they have more holocrons than we do. We've already killed about a dozen Sith since the war started, and with that much more knowledge and time on their side, they really shouldn't be that easy to kill."

"You think they're bolstering their numbers instead?"

"We do," Kayla nodded. "We might have the edge on them now due to our different approach to training, but it won't stay that way forever. Ferry has expressed concerns that the longer we leave the Sith alone on Dromund Kaas, the more powerful they all get. Eventually they'll become strong, and with so many of them, the Jedi probably won't be able to stop them if they launch a big enough attack. We all agree with her."

Jake sighed and brushed a hand through his short brown hair. He knew this wasn't something most military men or politicians would care much about, but he wasn't _most_ military men. Jake Minvessen understood better than almost anyone just how great a threat the Sith were.

"What do you suggest then?" he asked the Jedi Master. "We clearly can't just attack the Sith capital."

"No," Kayla agreed. "But we _can_ attack the worlds the Chiss have taken."

Minvessen's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a look with Chancellor Golan.

"That's not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all." He stood up and began pacing back and forth, thinking of dozens of possibilities at once. "They'll send a Sith to defend the planet, and we can ascertain just how weak or strong they really are."

"I hate to put a hydrospanner in the works here," Golan interrupted, "but there may be a problem with that."

Kayla and Jake gave the Ansionian a quizzical look.

"Versca and her allies in the senate would pounce on us if we take any direct action against the Chiss," he explained. "They haven't attacked us in some time now, and with the suggestion of peace talks coming up more and more often, it's likely we'll be labelled warmongers."

"What's wrong with that?" Jake asked. "As long as we produce results. The Chiss killed countless thousands while taking those planets off of us in the first place."

"Makrus has a point, Jake," Kayla sighed. "The Council has been sensing a plot for a little while now, and this fits in too well. Versca and her allies are quickly becoming the majority in the senate, and if their proposal for peace talks with the Chiss comes through there'll be almost no support at all for any military action. If we even speak out about it, it'll just add fuel to the fire."

"So what?" Jake replied. "If it works, then we don't have to go to war again. If it doesn't, then we just prove we were right from the beginning."

"There will never be any peace talks," Kayla frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Jake put his hands on his hips and gave her a look of confusion teamed with impatience.

"I don't think you're giving the Sith enough credit here," Kayla explained. "Versca is clearly trying to get rid of Makrus and the Jedi, right? Why else would she say any of that stuff, especially when it was the Jedi and the military who freed Makrus' homeworld from the Chiss? And remember, Taneel Versca narrowly missed being appointed Chancellor after Grennar's term was up."

"You think she'll call a vote of no confidence?" Jake surmised.

"Not herself," Golan shook his head. "She'll make herself look every bit the strong, reluctant leader while one of her senatorial lackeys carries out the dirty work for her."

"Right," Kayla nodded. "She gets herself instated as Chancellor, she has the 'peace talks' with the Chiss, the two galactic bodies become one and the Sith control everything."

"You've really thought this through, huh," Jake said. "It's kinda scary how much sense that actually makes."

"You see our problem now?" Golan asked him.

"If we do nothing, the Sith will grow too strong to be able to stop, and eventually they'll take control of the Republic," Jake recounted. "If we fight back, we look like the bad guys and probably get exiled or killed and the Sith win anyway."

"Pretty much," Kayla said.

"Then that's a risk we'll have to take, isn't it," Jake grinned. "We can't sit back and do nothing."

"My thoughts exactly," Golan smiled back. "This is a perilous situation and we must tread very carefully, but we must _tread_ nonetheless."

"I wouldn't worry too much about the consequences," Kayla said. "I have a feeling we have a lot more support than is being made obvious right now. There are many elements in the military, as well as quite a lot of senators who are staunchly supportive of the Jedi and yourself, Chancellor. Former Admiral Bruodu's cousin Ackmus springs to mind, as does Senator Serluss from Commenor. If worse comes to worst and we end up being exiled-"

"Or worse," Jake added.

"If it happens, we'll have plenty of supporters. Not everyone in the Republic is a total coward."

"So we're agreed then?" Golan asked. "We need to launch a strike, and soon. But where?"

"Glee Anselm," Jake suggested. "There's still lots of survivors there, mostly the Nautolans hiding underwater, and I can imagine they would be pretty happy to see the Sith and the Chiss gone. Plus, it'll make moving between the Unknown Regions and Republic space that much more difficult for the Chiss, and it's a symbolic victory."

"It's also a planet that the Sith and Chiss hit pretty badly with absolutely no regard for life. The Anselmi were pretty much wiped out in that attack. Bringing that back to the public's attention will go a long way towards helping our cause," Kayla added.

"We could really use the Mandalorians' help with this attack," Jake sighed. "It's too bad about that gauntlet Ferry and Byz found."

"We were going to send Gavin to Mandalore to ask around about it, but when we figured out the Sith Emperor might very well be Mandalorian, we thought better of it," Kayla explained. "Gavin and Ferry's uncle just happens to be a Colonel in the Republic Army, though. Let me talk to him about the Mandalorians. He may be able to figure out just how entrenched they are within the Sith. He may also be able to find us some loyal help for our attack."

"Who's the Hekla kids' uncle?" Jake asked. "I've known those two for years and I never even knew they _had_ an uncle. You say he's a Colonel? I probably already know him."

"You know him quite well, actually. His name is Colonel Brellin Kryss," Kayla grinned.

"Kryss is Mandalorian?" Jake exclaimed in disbelief. "I guess that explains why he's such a good soldier. I'll ask him myself, Kayla. I'm seeing him later on today."

"Thanks," Kayla said with one of her trademark smiles.

"We'll talk more about this in the coming days, I think," Golan stood up to leave. "Unfortunately, I now have an appointment with Senator Versca. I know there is no luck, there is only the Force, but wish me luck."

"You're gonna need it," Jake laughed as he shook Golan's hand, then gave Kayla a parting hug before turning to leave in the opposite direction to Golan.

"Oh and by the way," he spun around and quickly added. "Say hi to Ashlyn for me, would ya? Thanks."

"Next time you can bloody well go and see her yourself, you shameless coward," Kayla giggled as Jake disappeared out of view. She wondered to herself how long it would take him to realise that simply leaving things unsaid wasn't sufficient to hide his feelings from a Jedi. _If his surface thoughts screamed 'I have an enormous crush on Ashlyn' any louder, I'd probably go deaf,_ she laughed to herself.

* * *

Ferros could see Kayla and Finnschall waiting for them in the hangar as the three X-Wings descended. They helped Byz disembark, as he was still a little dazed from his injuries, but insisted on landing the fighter himself. There was a solemnity about the two waiting Jedi Masters, although their appearance betrayed nothing but simple happiness at their safe arrival.

"Master Valos, Master Talus," Byz bowed slightly unsteadily.

"Concussion," Finnschall said seriously. "You've taken a knock to the head."

"I took much more than a single knock. Take a look at this."

Byz lifted his black tunic to show his badly burned and bruised chest and abdomen. Darth Artaith had tortured Byz to within an inch of his life, using physical blows as well as Force Lightning as his preferred methods.

"By the Force…" Finnschall gasped. "What did that _schutta_ do to you?"

"He likes his torture," Byz smiled wearily. "He also doesn't like being mocked."

"I can tell. You must have pissed him off quite a lot."

"It _did_ take him a little while," Byz grinned. "He had lots of drinks breaks."

"Well let's get you into a bacta tank, we can discuss the how of it once you've recovered," Finnschall said as she put an arm around him for support and the two of them turned to leave for the Halls of Healing.

"Can I come?" Ferros asked hopefully. "You know, for support."

Kayla winked at Runice very subtly and the two girls giggled to each other. Ferros controlled her urge to blush and did her best to ignore the two of them.

"Absolutely," Finnschall smiled warmly. "Come along, then."

"Before you go, Ferry," Kayla said, "I need you to report to the Operations Planning Centre afterwards. You have a new assignment."

"Okay, what is it?" the younger girl asked.

"One of the masters will tell you all about it once you arrive. Take your time though, it's important to spend a bit of time with your special friends first. You know, for support."

Ferros could feel her cheeks warming slightly as Kayla supressed another giggle, but decided the best course of action would be to just turn around and go with Finnschall.

"Those two," Runice grinned. "Who do they think they're fooling?"

"I think it's sweet," Kayla replied. "It wasn't so long ago that we were that age, you know."

"Sometimes it feels like a thousand years. We've done so much in that time. They've both grown up so fast."

"I know what you mean."

"You should have seen Ferros fighting, Kayla," Runice said proudly. "Ashlyn taught her well. She's become powerful, and she's only sixteen. If she keeps a steady mind, she'll have a seat on the Council before too long."

"She'll need a steady mind for what she's about to do."

Runice looked quizzically at Kayla, and the shorter girl just smiled back.

"She's going to take back Glee Anselm."

"Glee Anselm…" the Twi'lek thought out loud. "Good idea. I sense Jake's involvement."

"Right you are," Kayla smiled sweetly. "It's a good show of strength, a great strategic move and it'll help a lot of people still on the planet. We've got something just as important in mind for you, though."

"Oh?" Runice grinned.

"What do you think about spying on Taneel Versca?"

"Sneaky, distasteful, very likely to produce results," Runice pondered. "Can Gavin come?"

"We were sort of hoping so."

"I love my job, sometimes. Being a Jedi Shadow is so much fun."

"You'll need to work with Intelligence a bit on this," Kayla told her. "We're expecting Versca to be covering her tracks pretty well, if she's working for the Sith."

"We'll figure it out before too long," Runice replied. "I'm expecting to find some pretty gripping stuff."

"I'm sure you will," Kayla smiled sweetly again. "We haven't told Gavin yet, we figured you'd want to do that yourself."

"Thanks, I'll go tell him," Runice said, then turned to leave.

"Don't stress yourself too much about it today," Kayla said, grabbing her arm gently. The Twi'lek stopped in her tracks, and Kayla took both her hands in her own. "Why don't you rest up for the day instead. I know you could use a little rest."

Runice smiled warmly and gripped Kayla's hands a little tighter. "Thanks, Kayla. I think I'll go out on the town. You wanna come? Make a night of it?"

Kayla stood on her toes and gave Runice a kiss on the cheek, stroking the back of her hands with her thumbs. "Wouldn't miss it."

The Twi'lek smiled a little wider. "I'll go see if anyone else wants to come too, it'll be good for us to remind ourselves of what it's like to be normal people for a change."

"I'm going to check on Byz and Ferry. I'll see you later."

* * *

"Sweetie, your whole body is covered in burns and bruises. There's hardly any plain old skin left," Finnschall said to Byz. She was being very careful not to hurt him, and her voice betrayed her shock at the extent of his injuries. "I really hope you gave him what he deserved, Ferry. I know what I would have done."

"If he's alive, he's not happy, that's for sure," Ferros told her. "But honestly, if we were on any planet other than Korriban, Byz would have been fine."

"So it's true that he was using Korriban to hide himself in the Force?"

Byz and Ferros both nodded.

"It wasn't until after we'd fought him the first time that I was able to get a good sense of him," Ferros admitted. "Now I understand why Master Kayla sent us there."

"It's a good lesson to learn, if a little harsh. But we all must learn it some time," Finnschall replied as she continued to examine Byz's body.

"What I just don't get is how Artaith is actually on the Dark Council," Ferros said with puzzlement. "That implies that other than the other Dark Councillors and the Emperor, all the other Sith are weaker than him."

"What you _should_ be asking yourself is _why_, not _how_," Finnschall replied. "If the Sith are indeed weaker than the average Jedi, then they must have some other plan in place, no?"

"That makes sense," Ferros agreed. "Why else would they have shown themselves when they could have sat back on Dromund Kaas getting stronger?"

"Because they weren't planning on us being around," Byz answered, much to Ferros and Finnschall's surprise.

"Us?" Ferros asked.

"The Jedi Order, I mean," Byz clarified. "Think about it. They had ten years to play with those Sith holocrons before Master Rokanh found that first Jedi holocron, according to Master Runice. If we've come this far in only six years and it's taken them sixteen…that doesn't add up to me."

"What are your thoughts, young Byz?" Finnschall asked curiously.

"I'm not suggesting they don't have more numbers than we do, that much seems pretty obvious. But what if the Sith Emperor was training himself and maybe only a few apprentices up until we all came along?"

"It _does_ explain the Cold War," Ferros admitted. "He would have been scared off a little bit when he lost Caeer, Rengar and Leuenaar."

"I think you two might be on to something," Finnschall agreed. "I'll have to discuss this with the Council and see what they all think. Oh and by the way, Ferry, the Council has an assignment for Runice and your little brother. I thought you should know. Runice has to agree to it first, but they want them both to team up with Intelligence to spy on Senator Versca. That should produce something interesting too, I'd think."

Ferros smiled at the Togruta Jedi. "I couldn't think of two people better suited for it. If anyone can get dirt on that woman, it's Gavin and Master Runice. Hopefully it'll shed some light on everything."

"Hopefully," Finnschall smiled back. "I'm done now, young Byz. The bacta tank should clear up all those nasty wounds for you, you'll never even know they were there. As for the concussion you suffered, I wouldn't worry about it. Once you're out of the tank again you'll feel one-hundred percent." She entered some data into the bacta tank's interface, then turned around and smiled warmly at the two younger Jedi. "I'll leave you to prepare yourself and say your goodbyes to each other. I need you to stay in there for about a week, Byz, but we'll check on your progress periodically. I don't think you'll see little Ferry again until she gets back from her next assignment."

With that, Finnschall walked out of the room and rounded the corner, off to her next duty. Byz and Ferros looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Ferros' face contorted in curiosity.

"What's up?" she asked. "You were about to tell me something important."

"It's nothing," he said, then turned away and started picking up his discarded clothes from the floor, placing them on a nearby bench with his lightsaber and other belongings.

Ferros took his hand and tugged at it, and he reluctantly turned back around.

"It's not nothing. We're best friends, Byz. You think I can't tell? You gotta give me _some_ credit."

Byz sighed and looked down at Ferros' boots, trying to form the right words. He could feel her supporting him with the Force, encouraging him to say what he needed to.

"I came pretty close to dying back on Korriban," he said finally. "We have a dangerous job, Ferry, and there are certain things I'd be pretty disappointed about if I don't do them."

Ferros just looked up at him with her big greyish-blue eyes, listening carefully to him.

He stepped slightly closer to her, and she didn't recoil; she just glanced at his lips several times as he got closer, then back up at his eyes again.

"Byz, we really should…"

She trailed off as they kissed for several seconds, and Byz thought to himself that it was everything he'd thought it'd be.

"I'm not sure about this, Byz," Ferros said.

"About the kiss?"

"No, I'm glad we did that," she blushed heavily and went all girly for a few moments. "I'm not sure about…us."

Byz was totally confused now. _I guess it was too much to hope that being her best friend would give me some insight into her mind._

She must have sensed his confusion.

"It's not that I don't like you," she clarified. "I do, very much. You know that. I just think we can afford to wait until we're a little older – more experienced at life."

"I don't understand," Byz shook his head, and Ferros chuckled. She took his hands, being extremely gentle with them.

"We're very young, Byz. I'm sixteen, you're seventeen. We've both only just finished being Padawans, there's a lot to learn still. We don't have the same sort of emotional control as people like Master Rokanh or Master Runice. You saw what happened on Korriban…you got hurt because of me, and I charged straight back in there for vengeance without a single thought as to how I was gonna go about it. What if one of us had died because of that?"

"But none of us died, Ferry." Byz sighed again. "Master Runice said herself that you could have handled it on your own. What if one of us dies and we don't figure this out first? I don't think I could stand it, Ferry."

Ferros turned away for a moment, thinking to herself, before turning back again and looking up at him once more.

"You know how I feel about you, Byz. I've always felt this way about you, since I first met you. Let me think about this for a little while." She stood up high on her toes, reaching as high as she could and kissed him softly on the lips, letting it linger for a few moments longer than usual. "I promise we'll figure this out."

"Promise?"

She smiled at him in a way he hadn't seen before, and it made him melt inside. At that moment, she was the most perfect thing in the galaxy to him, and he knew he needed to see that smile again every day for the rest of his life.

"I promise," she winked. "Now get in the tub and heal up, or I'll throw you in there myself."

He slightly supressed a laugh as her normal feisty personality came back again, and he did as he was told. She took the last of his discarded clothes off him and put them on the bench with his other belongings as he was lowered into the bacta tank. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Ferros blowing him a kiss, and that's all he could think about the entire time he was in there.


	4. Chapter 4

Ferros saw Colonel Stepfyn Villanov arriving at the Temple and ran over to greet him. It had been a few years since she'd seen him, and she was only a Padawan back then. Mostly he was assigned to the more troubled posts throughout the Republic, and was required to stay for months, if not years at a time. His expertise had been brought to the Republic's attention early on in the war, when he was stationed at Bilbringi. Since then he had been asked to assist with the establishment, retraining and redesign of many strongholds and their soldiers over the years. He tired of his new role eventually though, and had put in a request to be assigned to a new infantry role, which was granted to him, along with a promotion from Commander to Colonel for his invaluable service.

"Well hello there, gorgeous," he grinned happily. "It's been far too long. You're a young woman now! Where's the time gone, eh?"

Ferros wrapped her arms around Villanov and gave him an almighty squeeze.

"It's so good to see you again, Commander," she squealed.

"Careful!" he mock coughed. "Any tighter and I might have you court martialled for assaulting a _Colonel_."

"_Colonel_?" she looked up at him with surprise. "Congratulations on your promotion, then." She playfully punched his arm. "Any idea what's going on here, Stepfyn?"

"None at all," he admitted as Ferros released him, overemphasising his ability to breathe with several unnecessarily deep breaths. "I was told by my old CO that I was being transferred for an assignment that was 'worthy of my talents', and that I should report to the OPC at the Jedi Temple. That's all they told me."

"If they need both you _and_ me _and_ a Jedi Master, then it must be a pretty important mission."

"I think we all know you could do it by yourself, little Ferry-girl," Villanov winked. "But I'll humour them with my presence anyway."

The two of them proceeded to the southeast spire, the Tower of Reconciliation, where the Operations Planning Centre was. Ferros looked Villanov up and down as they walked, noting that his uniform looked different from what she was used to seeing on Republic soldiers and officers.

"I dunno either," Villanov smirked, seemingly reading her mind. "I was given this uniform to wear just before I left and told it would be explained to me after I arrived. You like it?"

Ferros nodded brusquely. "I hope I get something like that too. I'd make it look hot."

Villanov laughed curtly. "Don't distract my men too much though, will you?"

The uniform consisted of black and dark green military camouflage trousers, black knee-high boots, matching camouflage shirt and a black utility vest. Ferros was already thinking of ways to modify it to her liking, and hoping that her status as a Jedi General would mean the strict uniform rules wouldn't apply as much to her as it did to the soldiers and officers.

As they exited the refurbished turbolift, another female Jedi appeared and squealed even louder and girlier than Ferros had moments before. She bolted over and hugged Villanov with both arms and legs, almost knocking him to the ground in the process.

"You Jedi women are ruthless," he chuckled as Ashlyn's momentum forced him to back into the wall.

"It's been such a long time!" Ashlyn squeaked with excitement, untangling herself from the Colonel. "I was wondering if we'd ever get to see you back here on Coruscant ever again. It seems like you've been all over the galaxy, always parsecs and parsecs away from anywhere the Jedi go."

"I requested a transfer because I was disgusted by the lack of Jedi in my life," Villanov lied, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Aww, that's sweet," Ashlyn cooed, stroking his face with her palm mockingly before slapping it lightly a few times. "Come on then, let's plan the best attack ever."

Ferros herself was very excited. She hadn't had a chance to work with her old master since being promoted to Jedi Knight, and was thrilled at Villanov's presence too. She was only ten years old at the time, but she remembered the Battle of Pyria vividly, and she knew that Villanov's efforts were instrumental to their success. Without him, Master Talus may very well have perished that day.

Ashlyn, Stepfyn and Ferros walked over to the holoprojector, which brought up an image of a planet which appeared to be mostly water, pockmarked with smallish land masses that would be about the size of enormous islands on any other world. Almost the entire planet appeared to be tropical, with only the poles covered in ice.

"Brave move," Villanov nodded his approval. "Very brave move. I'll say it: it's a _brilliant_ move."

"If we can pull it off," Ferros added soberly. "With Bilbringi abandoned and the shipyards destroyed, they've been using it as a waypoint in Bilbringi's place. It's pretty heavily fortified."

"That's where I come in," came a booming, gruff, lordly Commenorian accented voice from behind them. "I believe my assistance has been requested, much to your good fortune, may I say."

The man looked deadly serious. He had a stiff, militaristic look about him, and a completely grey flat-top hairstyle and bushy moustache to complete the look. He was also dressed in an immaculate dark green Admiral's uniform. He was well over six feet tall, perhaps six foot four, and was reasonably solid.

Ashlyn and Ferros looked the man up and down for a few moments, then the man began laughing. "Fleet Admiral Willem Jellener, at your service, ladies and…some soldier fellow. Not sure what he's doing here."

Villanov began laughing too then, before crisply saluting the Admiral, followed by a vigorous, manly handshake.

"Terrific to see you again, sir," Villanov grinned.

"Likewise, old friend. This shall be like old times, when we were marooned together on Felucia, of all places."

"We won't have to live off the local produce for as long this time, hopefully," Villanov replied.

"That we shan't, Stepfyn, old boy. That we shan't." He turned his attention to the two Jedi then. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he smiled warmly, like a grandfather, then issued another millimetre-perfect salute.

Ashlyn and Ferros smiled to each other, then did their best salutes for the Admiral, although they were clearly unpractised, not being military.

"Jedi Master Ashlyn Valos. This is Jedi Knight Ferros Hekla," Ashlyn introduced them both.

"Ah, Valos and Hekla," he shook both girls hands, one after the other. "I've heard tales of your exploits, ladies. It's truly a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Masters Talus and Rokanh both speak very highly of you both, as does Chancellor Golan. I was very pleased when I was informed that we would be working together on this mission. I look forward to seeing the results of your considerable talents for myself on the field of battle."

"We won't disappoint you, Admiral," Ferros smiled.

"Oh, I'm certain you won't," Jellener chuckled. "Now, let's plan this battle of ours, shall we?"

Ashlyn picked a remote control up from beside the holoprojector and pushed a button, replacing the image of the planet with a view of the entire system.

"As you can see, our target is Glee Anselm. As you all no doubt know already, it's a heavily fortified world that the Chiss have been using as a waypoint in place of Bilbringi," the Togruta began. "Our part of the mission is to secure Pieralos, the capital, and relieve it of their Chiss and most likely Sith commanders. Once we've done that, more ground forces will be despatched to mop up the rest. Admiral?"

Jellener stood forward then and cleared his throat.

"We are in charge of the advance forces," he said. "This attack will proceed in two parts: a naval attack on their space defences, led by myself, and a ground force led by Generals Valos and Hekla.

"Scouts have informed me that their forces in space are centred around one large _Annihilation_-class dreadnaught and three _Carnage_-class frigates. They also have an estimated six full squadrons of fighters at their disposal."

"On the ground, they have a minor presence on the planet everywhere except for Pieralos, where the bulk of their forces are stationed," Ashlyn explained. "I think the ground forces should concentrate on their communications first before Admiral Jellener's fleet gets within scanning range. After that, we head straight for the centre of the capital and take out their head."

"If I may," Ferros interrupted, "what size force are we talking about here?"

"We'll have a small battalion of three-hundred troops for the advance force, then a larger battalion of a thousand for the second wave," Ashlyn answered.

"Three hundred is a pretty big advance force," Villanov said.

"We should split it up," Ferros suggested. "There's no point having two Jedi and a celebrated field officer like Villanov here if we're just gonna charge straight in. The Chiss rule the capital; they'll box us in too easily if we aren't careful."

"What do you suggest?" Ashlyn asked.

"Split it into five groups – three companies and two squads of commandos. Have the commandos head in first and take out comms and scanners."

Ashlyn zoomed in the holodisplay, bringing up the Glee Anselm capital of Pieralos, which took up almost all of one of Glee Anselm's islands. The bulk of the capital's structures seemed to be concentrated towards the north-eastern area.

"I see," Ashlyn nodded, then pointed towards the more concentrated area. "Then have companies A, B and C attack from the north-west, north-east and south-east of here while the commando squads go to work?"

"Yep," Ferros smiled. "If it's so heavily fortified, it'll be best for us to sneak in and do what we need to do in smaller groups first before we let the rest of the troops in. That way, once their comms and scanners are down we can surround their government building from those three directions while the two squads form up and infiltrate it together."

"I like it," Villanov said, folding his arms across his chest and nodding his approval. "So the two squads go in ahead, and call in the main force once comms and scanners are down?"

"Right," Ferros replied.

Ashlyn highlighted three places within the city on the projection. One was designated green and was almost exactly on the north-eastern border of the city, one was red and located slightly east of the green building, the other was marked in blue and was a short distance to the south.

"This is the communications hub," she pointed to the red building. "It's probably got a standard complement of Chiss soldiers and some laser batteries. We need to disable the comms, not destroy them, 'cause they're not Chiss-built. Everything they're using once belonged to the Nautolans; the Chiss only commandeered it. Some collateral is to be expected, but we need to minimise damage if we can. The Nautolans will probably want it back.

"The blue building is where the Nautolans built their scanners. Again, minimise collateral. Once they're both down, leave some troops behind to guard them, then proceed to the green building, which is their centre of government. Our sources tell us that the Chiss are using it as the centre of operations, and it will be heavily guarded."

"Any Sith?" Villanov asked.

"No word on that," Ashlyn said with more than a hint of disappointment. "My guess is that they'll definitely have one there, and he won't be weak. He might even be a Dark Council member, given how important the planet is to them."

"Would it not be easier and more surprising to simply bomb all three places?" Jellener asked. "The Republic can fund and help build them again once we're done, but if surprise is our best ally, then surely a quick strike would benefit us? My pilots are the best, and I'd be more than happy to have them assist you."

"It would be quicker and easier, Admiral, yes," Ashlyn nodded. "But too costly, and unnecessary. The Republic can't afford to devote precious resources to rebuilding too much on these planets when we take them back. Of course, there'll be some rebuilding to do regardless, but if we can minimise how much of it there is, it'll be better for both the Republic and the Nautolans."

"What about the AD towers? Will they be a problem for us?" Jellener stroked his bushy grey moustache as he spoke.

"Probably not," Ashlyn answered. "Creo, our chief engineer at the Jedi Temple, has fitted some of the landing craft with the same stealth tech that our Jedi X-Wings have. That should give us the freedom to land the advance force without being noticed, then once we take out their scanners they won't see the main force coming anyway, so there'll be no need for secrecy."

"They're not Nautolan though, are they?"

"No, those AD towers were built by the Chiss. We don't mind if you take those out, Admiral," Ashlyn told him with a grin.

"Very well, I shall have two bomber pilots assigned to their destruction as soon as the order comes through for the main force to be despatched," Jellener smiled happily, clearly relishing in any chance he got to destroy something the Chiss or Sith had built.

"What about our space forces?" Villanov asked. "What do we have at our disposal?"

"The entire First Fleet, old boy," Jellener grinned beneath his thick moustache. "One _Lucrative_-class battleship, one _Infiltrator_-class frigate, two _Fluid_-class Calamari cruisers, and the _Showstopper_, which is a Corellian Interdictor. Oh and ten squadrons of the Republic's finest."

"That's a lot of firepower!" Ferros exclaimed with an eager grin.

"The First Fleet do not mess around with children's toys like the Chiss do, young General Hekla. Being Mandalorian, I'm sure you understand the need to bring proper weapons into battle. The _Solar_ _Wind_ has seen battle many times, and has always brought about a victory for the Republic. So it shall again this time."

"Our plan is a sound one," Ashlyn said. "Is there anything anyone would like to add before we submit it to Admiral Minvessen?"

Nobody spoke up at first. Every one of them agreed that the plan was solid. Only after a few moments did Villanov say something.

"As long as there aren't many surprises waiting for us, I think we'll be fine. We're bringing enough firepower to pulverise the whole planet _and_ the Chiss forces."

"Speaking of surprises," Ferros added, "we should all agree to keep this plan under wraps. No telling anyone except the Chancellor, Admiral Minvessen and the Jedi."

"Agreed," they all chorused.

"I must say, young Jedi Knights," Jellener smiled warmly. "I am very impressed with the both of you so far. Your planning skills are formidable. Why, when I was your age, young Master Valos, I was still learning how to land a fighter in a hangar without crashing into it! And when I was _your_ age, Jedi Hekla, I believe I had absolutely no idea what a navy even was!"

The two girls chuckled with the old Admiral. He had an infectious laugh and a kindly face that matched perfectly with it.

"You're too kind, Admiral," Ashlyn smiled, curtsying politely along with Ferros.

"The Jedi teach manners too! So rare these days in so many young people. I'm glad it has not yet been entirely erased from our culture."

The Admiral stiffened his posture and gave a crisp, firm salute.

"Good day, ladies," he said with another warm smile, then turned to Villanov and saluted him as well. "And good day to you too, young Stepfyn. A pleasure to see you again."

"And you," Villanov smiled and saluted in return.

The Admiral turned and left via the turbolift as Ashlyn shut off the holoprojector. She turned around and looked at Villanov carefully then, eyeing him up and down just as Ferros had.

"The uniform looks good. The camouflage looks a lot nicer than the plain old black ones."

"I was told that it'd be explained to me when I arrived, but Admiral Jellener left before I got a chance to ask him," Villanov replied.

Ashlyn smiled at him. "That's because I'm the one in charge of it. Special Forces always looked a bit drab and boring, and I figured a bit of camouflage might be good too."

"Special Forces?" Villanov asked, unaware of what she was insinuating.

She smiled at him again, and this time chuckled a little too. "Your reassignment," she began. "You requested for a transfer to a more active infantry role. I'm the Jedi Battlemaster, and part of that role includes managing Special Forces ops for the Republic Army. I specifically requested that you be made one of the new commanding officers, second only to the Jedi Generals and Admiral Minvessen himself. You're now an equivalent rank to our other long-time friend Colonel Kryss, who is also a part of Special Forces."

"I am?" Villanov grinned ecstatically, then composed himself. "I mean, thankyou ma'am. I will uphold this position to the very best of my ability. You will not regret this decision, you have my word."

"Your word isn't necessary, Colonel," Ashlyn grinned wryly. "I know what you're capable of, and I know how much you deserve this position. That's why I specifically requested you. There are hundreds of other Colonels serving the Republic Army who were literally begging for this opportunity, and none of them would be too impressed if they found out that a lowly Commander was promoted specifically for it. But none of that matters. You're one of the very best, and I know you'll make us all proud."

"May I speak freely, ma'am?" Villanov asked. He'd fallen back into strict military protocol as soon as Ashlyn had admitted that she was in charge of Special Forces.

"Of course, Stepfyn," she laughed. "You're in Special Forces now. It's _your_ platoon. _You're_ in charge of it. You can run it however you want. Technically, the Jedi aren't a part of the Army anyway, so there's not really any need for military protocol here. I might be in charge of managing and co-ordinating the _use_ of Special Forces along with Admiral Minvessen, but it's your platoon to command and run however you see fit."

"This is such a massive honour, I really wasn't expecting it at all, ma'am-"

"Ashlyn," she corrected. "Or Master Valos, or Hot Togruta Girl, whatever you want as long as it isn't mean," she smiled.

"HTG, then," he chuckled. "Thankyou very much, I won't forget this. And the uniform looks great. It feels strong too. What's it made of?"

"It's some sort of new material some Republic scientists have created that absorbs and dissipates energy from blaster fire. It's as light and strong as anything regular-issue as well. Be careful though, it won't stand up to more than a few stray shots at a time. If it gets overloaded you'll still get blaster burns."

"Really?" Ferros asked. "Can I try it?"

Ashlyn handed Ferros a holdout blaster, a devious smile forming on her face.

"Hold still, Stepfyn," Ferros grinned, taking aim at his chest.

"Whoa, wait! WAIT!" he shouted as Ferros fired.

The blaster bolt struck him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards a few paces, but left no mark at all. The energy seems to crackle and fizz at it struck, then promptly disappeared.

"Check it out," Ashlyn insisted, unbuttoning Stepfyn's shirt and pulling back. "No burn."

"Wow, that's incredible!" he gasped. "I mean, it hurt when it hit, but it was like being pushed backwards by someone with really small hands. Not being pierced by a fire stoker like normal. I'm staggered."

"At the moment it's just a trial," Ashlyn told him. "They gave them to me because I gave Minvessen my very best 'poor little girl' look. So be grateful."

"I'm sure he was really reluctant, too," Ferros sniggered. "Why didn't you just sit on his lap and nibble on his ear?"

Ashlyn blushed a little, more through shame than embarrassment. "'Cause if I'd done that, he would have made them standard issue and then asked me out afterwards. I don't necessarily _enjoy_ doing that sort of thing, but I wanted those uniforms."

"Rubbish," Ferros cackled. "You loved it."

Villanov stood still, doing his best not to take sides, until Ferros elbowed him sharply, trying to coax him onto hers.

"She knows Jake's keen on her. She used him," Ferros laughed.

"I didn't!" Ashlyn protested. "I just did what was necessary to get those uniforms for Special Forces."

"I guess presenting a valid argument stating that Special Forces might get themselves into some nasty scrapes where the new uniforms might be necessary for increased survival odds would have been completely unnecessary."

"Okay fine!" Ashlyn crossed her arms, trying her best to look upset. "It was quicker and easier to do it this way. But you can shut up Ferry-girl, or I'll tell Colonel Villanov all about the 'valid argument' you presented to Senator Serluss' son to convince him that the Republic Navy could use his company's new shielding technology."

Ferros' face went even redder than Ashlyn's skin. "That was totally different! He was going to-"

Ashlyn cut her off with a grin. "Serluss' son was considering an offer from the Chiss against his father's wishes, and we were called in to investigate claims from Kuat that they were war profiteering."

"I remember hearing about that," Villanov nodded, choosing his words carefully.

"Serluss took a liking to Ferry, and she insisted that seducing him was the only way to ensure he did the right thing. Despite that she was only fifteen years old at the time."

"It worked, didn't it?" Ferros argued.

"So did my acquisition of the new uniforms tech," Ashlyn smiled wryly.

Villanov shook his head and chuckled. "Now presumably you're going to present a 'valid argument' to me about how you'll both need your own uniforms."

Ashlyn's wry grin turned into a self-assured one.

"No need for that, I've already got some made up for us."

She disappeared into an annex and returned with both arms full of clothing. She held up several pieces. Ferros' eyes lit up and she examined the uniform, holding them up against her body.

"There's no vest," Villanov commented. "And the shirts have no sleeves…_and_, they look kind of short to me. Are they the right size?"

"I had them made especially for us, so they're definitely the right size," Ashlyn said. "You'll see soon enough. We'll leave pretty much as soon as Jake approves the battle plan."

"How will no sleeves protect you?" Villanov questioned her. "Isn't the whole point of these uniforms that they stop blaster burns?"

"Soldiers don't have lightsabers. Plus, we might be Jedi, but we're still girls. We can wear anything we want, 'cause we aren't military. I'm not going anywhere looking all scruffy with loose pants and bulky vests."

"Can I take these with me right now?" Ferros asked. "I wanna try them on and see what the younglings all think."

"Sure, they're yours," Ashlyn told her.

"This is a very drastic change of scenery from what I'm used to," Villanov laughed. "I'm looking forward to this. I forgot what young girls can be like."

"Hey, we might be young girls," Ferros frowned mockingly, "but we're still your superiors, mate."

* * *

Runice, Devin and Kayla were on their way to one of Coruscant's many entertainment districts when Kayla's secure holocom signalled an incoming call. It was the one that Admiral Minvessen had given her to communicate securely with Colonel Brellin Kryss while he was on Mandalore investigating the gauntlet Byz and Ferros had found. Kayla answered it and Colonel Kryss appeared as a small hologram.

"_Masters,"_ he bowed. _"I have news for you from Mandalore."_

Kryss looked at Kayla and Runice suspiciously then, his eyes drawn to their chests, then back up to their faces.

"_Why are you dressed like that? I can see your…you know…"_

Runice immediately adjusted her cleavage to make it more obvious, having gotten used to being a bit of a tease during her younger days as a pirate, and never growing out of it.

"Eyes up, soldier," she mocked. "We're about to go out for the night, that's all."

"_Sorry, ma'am," _he chuckled. _"You both look great. Very sexy, if I may say so. Devin…not so much."_

"I'll remember that, Colonel," Devin grinned.

"_Anyway, it seems that Mandalore's not around at the moment, so I've been in touch with General Gregor of Clan Kinseth. Apparently he's in charge while Mandalore is out scouting for scattered Mandalorian clans to recruit to the cause."_

"Scattered clans?" Devin asked. "I thought the Mandalorians had been united for some time?"

"_So did I, Dev. General Kinseth says there are still some working as mercenaries in the Outer Rim, and he's out searching for them to strengthen our numbers."_

Despite his many years of service to the Republic Army, Kryss still considered himself a true Mandalorian, and never referred to the Mandalorians in third person where he was directly involved. In fact, he still spoke to his niece and nephew, Ferros and Gavin Hekla, in Mando'a whenever he saw them.

"_It's been very difficult to investigate anything," _he continued. _"Mandalorians are very patriotic, and trying to find a potential traitor is very worrying to them. Everyone is more than happy to help identify who it may be, but they're all so staunchly one-eyed about being Mandalorian that nobody is a suspect. Furthermore, the gauntlet is as Ferry says: three generations of armour out of production. Nobody can identify who it belongs to, but they all agree it was somebody very high up the chain of command."_

"What about Kinseth? He's assumed command of the Mandalorian forces while Mandalore's away, is there a chance he might be working with the Sith?" Devin asked.

"_Not even a remote chance,"_ Kryss shook his head vehemently. _"Clan Kinseth are among our most honoured. They have fought bravely and sacrificed much in the name of Mandalore. Their only concern is for honour. Gregor was very reluctant to even take over Mandalore's post, as he felt it brought him too far from battle."_

"What about those scattered clans you mentioned?" Kayla asked. "Could someone have fabricated that information to get him to leave?"

"_It's possible, but everyone I've spoken to says he left of his own accord. Nobody else had any hard evidence that any Mandalorians were still working as mercenaries anywhere. As far as we all knew, we were all united under one banner. Of course, it's not necessarily anyone else's business either." _

"That's brought us to a bit of a dead-end," Runice sighed disappointedly. "Keep searching, Brellin. Someone found those Holocrons and brought them to the Sith. Even rumours would be useful to us. And try to find out as much as you can about Mandalore's movements. There's something not right about that."

"_Very good,"_ Kryss bowed. _"I'll report back soon. And invite me out with you when I get back. You all look sober. I think you've forgotten how to drink like a Mandalorian."_

Kryss grinned and winked at Runice as the connection terminated. Kayla sighed as she turned the holocom off.

"Well, that was disappointing," she muttered.

"We're _supposed_ to be forgetting about official business tonight, remember?" Runice said, grabbing their hands. "Brellin knows what he's doing. If there's any evidence the Mandalorians are behind any of this, he'll find it. So stop worrying! Let's go already!"

* * *

Ferros sat in the same spot she'd been only a bit over a standard week ago, on top of the Jedi Temple ziggurat, before being sent to Korriban with Byz. Byz had now been in the bacta tank for two days, and while his badly burnt, bruised and cut body was well on its way to a full recovery it was still far from perfect. She knew he'd be alright, but she worried anyway. She tried to absent-mindedly watch the younglings training at telekinesis with Master Hriyek, but her thoughts always returned to Byz floating in the tank.

She was waiting for word from Admiral Minvessen that the plan she'd helped develop was approved and the forces could deploy to Glee Anselm, but it seemed to be taking longer than expected, and the downtime had caused her thoughts to stray. She didn't want to spend the time meditating, as she thought that would probably make her think about Byz even more, and decided to watch the younglings training to take her mind off things. It hadn't worked, and a few of the older boys in the group had noticed her watching them, dressed in her new modified Special Forces uniform. As a consequence, the objects they were attempting to levitate had dropped to the floor with several loud thuds, and they were admonished by Master Hriyek.

As the Jedi Master turned in the direction of the distraction, she realised quickly that it was Ferros and waved her over. Ferros, grateful for the interruption, approached them at a casual pace.

"You three seem to have taken an unusual amount of interest in Master Hekla," the Twi'lek said mock-seriously, drawing a small giggle from the female Jedi Padawans.

Ferros smiled as the boys – aged about fourteen or fifteen years old – began to blush slightly and avoid eye contact with her.

"You need to learn to keep your focus, despite anything that may be a distraction," Liina instructed. "Even pretty girls. Do you think the Sith won't try similar tactics?"

"No, master," the three boys chorused.

"Maybe Master Hekla could show us how it's done _properly_?" suggested a younger girl, who looked about ten or eleven years old. It was the same girl Ferros had been watching last time she'd been here.

The group of younglings started expressing their agreement.

"Go on," Liina urged her. "You've done this heaps of times. It's the one with the three stones."

Ferros remembered this exercise vividly. The idea was to hold two large stones – several kilograms each – while flinging a third, larger stone as hard and accurately as possible into a target painted on a wall. She'd been quite good at it, and decided to give the young Jedi hopefuls something to remember. She grinned slightly as she hefted the three stones with the Force.

She raised the two smaller stones and began twirling them above her head in a circle, getting faster and faster until they were nearly a blur, then sent the third stone sailing through the air at an impossible speed, straight into the centre of the bullseye, leaving an impression in the very middle. Most of the younglings all cheered loudly, except the three older boys who still perfectly still, their jaws dropped and dripping saliva as if they'd been hit with a stun bolt. Master Hriyek clapped and smiled.

"And _that's_ how it's done," she said to the whole group. "That's what you all need to be aiming for. Keep practising, everyone. I want to see some bullseyes by the end of the day."

The younglings all lined up again and took it in turns, with the three older boys going first. Liina approached Ferros as she watched the first of the boys make his attempt. He held the two smaller stones in the air and began to make them spin in a circle as Ferros had done, resulting in the third stone spraying wildly off to the side and missing the target completely.

"It's amazing how much they look up to you," Liina said.

"It wasn't that long ago that I was one of them, chucking stones into walls," Ferros reflected.

"That's why they look up to you," Liina chuckled. "Even those three," she gestured at the three older boys. The second boy was having a turn now, and the two smaller stones he was levitating dropped to the ground as soon as he started aiming the third.

Ferros laughed. "I'm not sure they're looking up to me for my ability with the Force, Master Liina."

"Of course they are," the Twi'lek replied. "They're just interested in your…other assets as well. They're teenage boys, remember?"

"I'm a teenage _girl_, how could I forget?"

The two giggled as the third boy tried and failed to hit the target, then the younger girl Ferros had been watching stepped up.

"Watch this one," Liina smiled. "She just keeps getting better and better. This is the third group I've put her in just in the last four weeks. You know those three boys?"

Ferros nodded.

"She's about to humiliate them."

The girl confidently lifted the smaller stones with her hands, then floated them above her head, making them dance about as if they were puppets. A few of the students gasped a little. The larger third stone began to rise then, and the girl turned around to face Liina and Ferros. She waved to them happily as the third stone was sent crashing in to the centre of the bullseye and the two smaller stones dropped heavily to the ground.

"Wow," Ferros said with some shock. "She certainly knows how to make a statement."

Liina waved her over, and the young girl happily approached them, her sandy-blonde ponytail swaying left to right. She bowed politely to them.

"Hello Masters," she smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Ferry, this is Curstenn Lellynd. Cursty, this is Ferros Hekla."

"It's ever so nice to meet you, Master Hekla," the younger girl curtsied, speaking in a very strong Coruscanti accent.

"Why did you feel it necessary to wave to us?" Liina asked her. "Do you know how you made those three boys feel?"

The girl stood her ground, not looking even slightly remorseful. "Probably jealous," she shrugged. "They would have done just as well if they weren't busy staring at Master Hekla." Curstenn put her hands on her hips then. "I wasn't trying to make them look bad, I just wanted you both to see that I can do it."

"Oh don't worry about that," Ferros laughed. "I saw it. I was very impressed. You're coming along very nicely."

The girl grinned widely. "Really? Thankyou very much, Master."

"You're not in any trouble or anything, Cursty," Liina smiled down at her. "I just wanted you to meet Master Hekla, that's all. You can go back over now. Maybe help out the others for a little while until I'm finished talking to Ferry."

Liina smiled and placed a hand on Ferros' shoulder as the girl happily bounded back over to the group. "There's little more I can teach her," she said. "She's been through all the different groups now, and she's surpassed all of them. She needs a master of her own."

"You really think I'm ready for that?"

Liina chuckled and looked away, forming the words to her next comment in her mind before speaking them.

"You had a very good teacher," she said. "And _she_ had a very good teacher as well. Your training was a little combat-focused for my liking, but you've come a very long way since you arrived here with Xander and your brother. You're an extraordinary Jedi, Ferry. Defeating a Dark Council member only a couple of months after becoming a full Jedi Knight is something unheard of. It's part of the reason why all these younglings look up to you so much."

Liina sat down and gestured to the spot next to her, inviting Ferros to sit down as well.

"Some Jedi might never take on an apprentice, and yet some Jedi will have multiple apprentices. I guess some just have a different calling," the Twi'lek shrugged. "I knew as soon as I met you, Xander and your brother that teaching the next generation of Jedi Knights was what I needed to do. What I _wanted_ to do."

"You haven't answered my question though," Ferros observed.

Liina let out a little laugh. "Haven't I?"

Ferros then realised that Liina had known all along that Ferros wanted an apprentice, and had only been gently suggesting that she already had all she needed.

"Now you're getting it," Liina smiled. "It's up to you what you end up doing, and you already know what I think."

Ferros turned her attention back to little Cursty, who was showing one of the older boys how to keep their concentration. The boy then mastered the exercise, hitting very near the bullseye while the other two stones remained levitated.

"I can't do anything much right now," Ferros admitted.

"I understand you're off to Glee Anselm shortly and you can't really take a new Padawan with you. After that, there'll be plenty of time though."

Ferros tossed the idea around in her head for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not to commit to it, then decided overthinking it was a bad idea.

"Alright then, why not? I'll take her on as my apprentice."

Liina squealed happily and started clapping. "You two are gonna be such good friends, I can't wait to tell her. The look on that cute little face of hers-"

"Ready to go, Ferry?"

The two Jedi spun around and saw Ashlyn standing behind them, also dressed in her new Special Forces uniform. Liina shook her head.

"Those poor Padawans…" she giggled. "The boys already started drooling when Ferry turned up, now you arrive in the same outfit…their tongues are gonna fall out. Anyway, I thought that stuff was meant to protect you from blaster burns."

"_You're_ telling me?" Ashlyn put her hands on her hips, a big grin on her face. "Before you were a teacher, you were worse than Runice." She turned to Ferros. "I remember trying to sneak into a bar on Ansion once, and the bouncer wouldn't let us in because we were underage. Little Miss Teacher here decided the best way to get inside was to wear tiny shorts about this small," she said, using her hands to demonstrate, "and tiny little tops that our boobs almost popped out of. Of course he let us in then. We didn't even need the Force."

"I can't lie, you two both look pretty hot," Liina admitted. "But I was never as bad as Runice. Anyway, why the outfits? Those can't actually be standard issue, can they?"

Ashlyn giggled. "No, not exactly. I got Special Forces a new uniform, and I liked the way it looked so I had different ones made up for Ferry and I. Can you imagine Jake wearing this though?"

Liina burst out laughing, then shook her head and grimaced. "I think I just did…"

"I think we should go before this conversation gets any weirder," Ferros chuckled, getting to her feet and standing next to Ashlyn.

"You aren't exactly inspiring fear in me," Liina mocked, looking both girls up and down. "But I suppose someone has to make army fatigues look good."

Ashlyn struck a pose, and the same three Padawans again lost their concentration and dropped the stones they were levitating.

"You're distracting my students, you two," Liina laughed. "Get out of here already!"

"May the Force be with you," Ashlyn smiled to her old friend.


	5. Chapter 5

Gavin and Runice waited patiently for Major Vyn Erreth to come back. They'd arrived several minutes ago at Republic Intelligence headquarters on Coruscant, and the Major had immediately disappeared to 'fetch some things'. After a few more minutes, Erreth returned with his hands full.

"Tracking devices," he explained, his voice a deep gravelly hack with a typically outer rim accent. "This one here is a personal tracker, capable of surviving hyperspace and camouflaging itself to its surroundings," he told them, holding a tiny little device on his fingertip. "These ones are more complex," he said, showing them several larger devices in his left hand. "These two need to be wired into the hyperdrive and the comms, this one is a microphone for the cockpit. Make sure you hook them up to this transmitter, and hide it as best as you can."

He pulled out a device from his shirt pocket that appeared to be no larger than a comlink.

"They're all set to the same frequency, so all you'd need to do is sync them all up, make sure they're hidden, and that's it. The data will be transmitted straight back here."

"How will you tell us about it?" Gavin asked. "Not through normal channels, I hope."

"No, dear boy," Major Erreth laughed, making a much throatier noise than was normal for a human, almost like a cough. "Through _these_."

The Major handed them each a comlink. They were older-looking than their normal comlinks and slightly heavier.

"These are absolutely secure, only able to transmit on a single frequency. Totally incapable of being intercepted."

"Alright then," Runice said. "Which do you want? The ship or the personal trackers?"

Gavin thought for a moment, then answered confidently. "The ship."

They each took their devices, and Major Erreth quickly explained them all again.

"Once you're both done we'll contact you immediately," Erreth continued his briefing. "I'm heading up this investigation, so all information is to be relayed via myself. Only Admiral Minvessen, Chancellor Golan, Republic Intelligence and the Jedi are aware of this. I also feel compelled to wish you both 'good luck'."

"Thanks, Major, but I'm sure we'll cope just fine," Gavin grinned.

"Son, one thing I've learnt in my years at RI is that nothing is ever as easy as it seems. There's a reason we didn't assign one of our field agents for this. Just be swift and careful. I don't trust Versca, and I don't think she'd be unprepared for this."

"Thanks for the warning, Major Erreth," Runice flashed her cutest smile. "You're so sweet, being concerned for us."

Erreth laughed his gravelly cough again. "Save that sort of routine for when you get yourselves in trouble. Intelligence agents don't get seduced."

"We'll see about that," Runice winked. "Come on, Gav. Let's get to work then."

* * *

The First Fleet arrived at the edge of the Glee Anselm system right on schedule. Ferros and Ashlyn were already on board the stealth transport with their two squads of Special Forces troops, waiting for their clearance to deploy. Colonel Villanov looked slightly anxious, which Ferros thought was very unlike him. She began to read his surface emotions through the Force, and detected a small amount of self-doubt.

"You've really got nothing to worry about," she said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"It's those uniforms of yours," he grinned. "They'll get us all shot while we're busy checking you both out."

Ferros laughed and shook her head. "Don't blame the uniforms." She turned her look into a serious one then. "I'm a Jedi; I can sense you're worried about yourself, your abilities."

Villanov sighed and looked down at his boots. "It's been a while, you know? A few years."

"And what makes you think anything's changed?"

"I know you won't understand this, but I've gotten older. I'm not as quick as I used to be, and not as strong. I feel…vulnerable."

Ferros smiled sweetly up at him, the way Kayla always did. "There's a reason you're in command of these guys. You don't get to be CO of Special Forces if you aren't good."

"I just hope I'm good _enough_," he muttered.

"Hope implies there's a good chance of failure. Don't hope," Ashlyn interrupted, overhearing their conversation. "_Know_."

Villanov smiled at her. "You're right, Ashlyn. Hoping won't work."

"_Stealth Transport _Advance_, you are cleared for launch. Repeat, cleared for launch, _Advance_. May the Force be with you."_

Ashlyn's lekku twitched as she heard the announcement coming from the bridge of the _Solar Wind_. She grinned at Ferros, who smiled back with a knowing nod.

"Let's get out of here, guys," she said, and the pilot raised the transport on its repulsors before activating the sublight drives. "Activate the cloaking device and sensor dampeners."

After a long flight all the way in to the planet on sublight drives, the transport finally bucked as it hit Glee Anselm's atmosphere.

"Two minutes until touchdown," the pilot announced.

"Alright everyone," Ashlyn said. "We've been through the briefing already, you should all know what's going on here by now. Break off into your squads as soon as we land. And remember, this planet belongs to the Nautolans. Collateral is to be kept to a minimum."

"If you see anyone with a lightsaber, let either General Valos or myself know immediately, and don't try to take them on yourself," Ferros advised. "If this mission goes well, it'll determine the fate of several other high profile missions to free the other planets taken by the Chiss and Sith. Let's make it count, guys. May the Force be with you all."

* * *

Two Senate Guards were stationed outside the private hangar that Senator Versca used to dock her private armoured shuttle. He had no idea exactly how Versca had managed to secure Senate Guards to protect her private shuttle, but knew it wouldn't really matter. They were better than normal guards for sure, but they were still just guards and Gavin would pretty much walk right past them.

He'd sliced into one of the hangar's computer terminals and checked the docking schedule, and confirmed that the shuttle wasn't scheduled to depart until much later that day. The idea was that he'd slip in before the pre-launch checks took place and be out of there before anyone was the wiser.

Hiding in the shadows cast by the early morning light, he used the Force to dislodge a stack of empty cargo crates, which then came crashing down with a terrific noise.

"Blasted lazy dock workers," one of the guards spat angrily. "This is the last time they're leaving their junk around here."

"We're not getting paid enough for this. Honestly…"

The two guards walked over to the mess of crates and pulled out their comlinks, angrily conversing with whoever was on the other end as they pointed at the crates and read out ID numbers. Gavin smiled, relishing in how easy it was to sneak into even supposedly 'high-security' facilities, and casually strolled right in.

He made his way to the shuttle – which had its boarding ramp down – and entered the cockpit. He glanced at the two guards, who had returned to their posts outside the hangar, and got to work.

It only took him around fifteen minutes to remove the necessary panels and install the transmitters, and he even had time to somewhat camouflage them. By the time he was done, no one short of a top mechanic would ever know they were there, and it would probably take a long time to discover them even then.

Just as he was about to exit the shuttle he heard some commotion from outside the hangar, and the guards standing to attention.

"…right now. I know it's not authorised until later but I don't care! I'm a senator and you're going to let me past."

"But ma'am I really must protest, the ramifications will be-"

"Make the ramifications disappear then. I don't employ you for your looks, or your complaints. I'm going right now, and I _expect_ you to keep this under wraps. Understand?"

The only cover around the shuttle was on the other side of the hangar, and Gavin couldn't reach it in time without being spotted by one of the guards or Versca. He quickly used the Force to leap onto the top of the shuttle, then laid as flat as possible to avoid being seen. He thought he was doing well until the shuttle's magnetic docking clamps disengaged, and his lightsaber's magnetic belt attachment disengaged along with it.

_Sithspit._

The lightsaber fell to the floor with all the subtlety of a ronto in a cantina, and the guards immediately raced over to inspect. Gavin quickly slid off the shuttle and landed silently on the opposite side to where his saber had fallen. Reaching underneath the shuttle, he hastily called it to his hand with the Force and hid behind one of the shuttle's landing struts, his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.

The guards looked around for the source of the noise, but failed to find one.

"I don't have time for this," Versca shouted, boarding the shuttle impatiently. "Get this thing in the sky right now or you won't work on Coruscant ever again."

The guards shrugged and walked off to their posts again as the shuttle raised itself on repulsors. Gavin jumped from the landing strut before the pilot could detect any noticeable extra weight, and quickly dashed off to find some cover with a Force-enhanced sprint. Allowing himself an audible sigh of relief, he distracted the guards again and quickly made his way to the pre-arranged meeting point with his master just as his secure comlink buzzed.

"Hekla," he answered.

"_Gavin, this is Major Erreth. We've already picked up some data from those sensors you placed on board the shuttle. It seems to be taking off already."_

"Yeah I only just made it out in time," Gavin confirmed. "Where's it headed?"

"_Ord Mantell seems to be the destination, although they've programmed in a complex series of jumps, probably to throw us off the scent."_

"Ord Mantell? But why would Versca be going there?"

"_That's your job, Commander. We've already told Master Arriah about it, she's waiting for you at the Jedi Temple."_

"On my way, Major," Gavin said as he raced back to the Temple using Force-augmented speed.

* * *

Ferros and Ashlyn stepped out of the _Advance_ and into the pre-dawn darkness of Pieralos, the Nautolan capital of Glee Anselm. The troops quickly arranged themselves into their two squads, with Colonel Villanov joining Ashlyn's squad, which immediately headed west towards the communications hub. Ferros nodded to her troops, and they set off east towards the sensors. Ferros stayed in the middle of the procession, with soldiers flanking her on all sides. She called her lightsabers to her hands and kept them deactivated for the time being.

With the capital still in darkness, with only a hint of blue sky creeping into the horizon, the squad was pretty well camouflaged. They were able to stay silent and in the shadows enough that unless you were actively looking for them, they really couldn't be detected. In fact, they had no trouble at all travelling the five kilometres between their starting point and the sensor hub, and encountered no resistance along the way. The few Chiss sentries they did pass were easy enough to slip past, and once they were out of sight they could move fairly freely.

"General Valos was right about this being a good time to strike," one of the Lieutenants commented to her. "There's no one here."

Ferros wasn't so easily convinced though, and had begun to stretch her Force awareness to detect any minor disturbances they may have missed on the way down.

"A heavily defended planet with a highly strategic position should have _some_ people around," she said with a frown. "Something's wrong here. It feels like we're…expected. Like someone is purposely clearing the way for us."

"Are you sure, General?" the Lieutenant asked. "I'm not spotting anything unusual."

"There," pointed the soldier taking point. He had electrobinoculars out and was adjusting the focus.

Ferros smiled as she sensed what the soldier was seeing. "They've got Sith guarding the hubs."

"Two, by the looks of it," the soldier observed. "I see two snipers too. There must be a whole company of troops inside."

Ferros' smile widened. "Fan out in twos," she ordered. "I'll head straight up the middle and take out the Sith. You guys worry about those snipers and securing the entry points."

"You're taking on _both_ Sith?" the Lieutenant asked in disbelief. "You really think you can handle it, ma'am?"

Ferros put on her best hurt look and gazed mournfully up at the Lieutenant.

"Okay, okay!" he laughed. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I won't doubt you again. Just don't give me those sad eyes."

"You'll learn to trust me, Lieutenant," she said with a grin. "Just worry about those entry points and those snipers. Now fan out, guys. We're taking those sensors, and we're taking them _now_. The First Fleet is counting on us."

As the soldiers disappeared amongst buildings and other cover, Ferros grabbed her comlink and tried to contact Ashlyn.

"_Valos,"_ she replied an instant later.

"We've got two Sith and at least a hundred troops inside," Ferros said.

"_Same here,"_ Ashlyn replied. _"Almost no resistance at all on the way in though. They've concentrated everything on the hubs. They knew we were coming."_

"I agree. I doubt they knew about our specific plans though, or maybe they thought a company of troops and two Sith would be enough for anything we can throw at them."

"_I think it was option two. They probably think it's enough. Which means we now have two problems."_

"An information leak and a government house with an entire battalion of troops in it," Ferros agreed.

"_Make sure they don't contact each other when they realise a squad of troops and a single Jedi was enough to take them out. We don't want them bolstering their defences any more than they already have."_

"You got it. I'll see you soon."

Ferros stood for a moment, staring straight at the two Sith Lords a kilometre ahead of them, standing out the front of the sensor hub with their sabers drawn but deactivated. Ferros began walking quickly towards them, her Force awareness open to everything around her. She didn't sense any snipers on rooftops or in windows, and even if she had sensed any she wouldn't give it away with a reaction. It took a long time to reach the two Sith, and Ferros deliberately stopped a few hundred metres short in order to draw them away from the building and give the Special Forces squad some room to move. The two Sith took the bait and marched forward to meet her.

"Well, well," said one of them, a short, stocky man with a military-style buzz cut and full, flowing black Sith robes. His face proudly sported a long scar running from his forehead to his lower jaw. "Are you here to dance for us?"

The other Sith started laughing. He was taller – around six feet tall – not quite as stocky as the first Sith, and had long, straight black hair reaching past his shoulders.

"The party's this way, sexy," he chuckled. "The Chiss are gonna love you."

"A Sith with a sense of humour," Ferros smiled. "Now I've seen everything."

She approached them calmly, radiating nonchalance and confidence. The Sith didn't seem terribly bothered, and continued to look her up and down.

"Cute outfit," the taller one sniggered. "I'm definitely scared. Yep, I'm shaking in my boots."

"Hey take it easy on her," the shorter Sith mocked, igniting his red saber and dropping straight into Soresu guard. "She's only a little girl, after all."

"I'd be prepared to let her go," the taller Sith said to the shorter one. "After we show her some Sith hospitality."

Ferros ignited both her lightsabers and stood in Djem-So guard, but with absolutely no intention of using the form. She simply wanted to test the two Sith.

"It must be wonderful for you, being part of an Order that encourages stupidity and prejudice. Tell me," she started to ask, "most of the Sith I've encountered have all been called Darth something or other. You two don't really look like Darths. You like a little like…what's the word?" she pretended to forget. "_Apprentices_. That's the word I was looking for." She giggled at them, relishing in the obvious fury it caused them.

"We're not apprentices," the short one said with his teeth gritted. "And we know it's important not to judge our enemy on appearance. Unlike yourself. You think the Dark Council would send mere apprentices to guard this planet? You're a fool."

"Sounds to me like the Jedi Council are fools too, sending one little girl to defeat two Lords," the tall one sniggered. "What did they think was going to happen? How old are you anyway? You don't look a day older than fifteen."

"You said you know it's important not to judge your enemy by their appearance," Ferros laughed. "You know, last time I fought a Sith Lord, I'm fairly sure I beat him."

"You? Beat a Sith?" the taller one said in disbelief, then erupted in cackling laughter.

"His name was Darth Artaith. He wasn't too happy about it," she told them.

"Don't claim victories that aren't yours," the taller one spat. "We know what happened on Korriban, and we _know_ it was a Jedi Master. Not some _schoolgirl _like you."

"I've heard enough of this," the short one said, stepping forward. "Knock her out and then take her inside. I'm going first, you can have her after that."

Ferros smiled again, then sighed and shook her head. She could sense their arrogance through the Force. In fact, she could sense _all_ of their surface emotions, and she could even hear what the taller one was thinking from time to time.

_I know I'm right about this,_ she thought to herself. _There's no way they're being trained properly._

Ferros threw her two sabers straight at the two Sith, who promptly ducked, and the sabers sailed onwards for dozens of metres, spinning through the air further and further away. They smiled, stood back up again and charged at her, but she Force-pushed them both backwards with a powerful telekinetic blast just as the two sabers changed direction and started sailing back towards her. The shorter one figured it out and Force-pushed the ground to elevate himself above the returning lightsaber, but the taller one was too late. Ferros' purple saber sliced his left arm off just above the elbow, cutting deeply into his torso on the way. The Sith dropped his red saber and stood clutching his severed arm, screaming. Ferros calmly strolled towards the shorter Sith, deftly decapitating the taller one on the way without so much as a sideways glance.

The shorter Sith's eyes went wide with horror before he dropped back into Soresu guard and attempted to recompose himself. Ferros stepped up to him just out of striking range and took Djem-So guard again, then deactivated her purple saber and put it back onto her belt.

"It's a bit unfair of me to fight you with both sabers," she explained with a sweet smile.

"Artaith…he-he lied to us. He said-"

"That I was some monstrous seven-foot Jedi who could rip mountains from the land with a flick of my wrist?"

"S-something like that," the shorter Sith stammered.

"Well, I'm not. I'm a sixteen year-old girl, and I only just became a full Jedi Knight recently."

The Sith shook his head in disbelief, then turned around to face the sensor hub.

"Where are my snipers?" he yelled angrily. "Take her down! Take her down NOW!"

Ferros giggled a little more. "They're dead, Sith. All your men are dead. My boys are in there right now wiping them out. It's just you now. What will you do?"

The Sith's forehead veins started bulging, his face darkening with blood pressure in the soft pre-dawn light.

"I was taught by Artaith himself," he said through clenched teeth. "I won't be beaten by a sixteen year-old girl. Light your second saber."

Ferros just smirked, keeping both hands on the hilt of her violet lightsaber. She intended to find out as much as she could about the way the Sith fight, what level their Force powers were at and how good their saber skills were. So far she'd discovered that they weren't trained to think on their feet, but she still wanted to know what sort of skills they'd been taught.

"You need all the advantages you can get, mate," she mocked. "Here, I'll help you." She took up Soresu guard, imitating the Sith's stance. "You're using Soresu form, right? It won't work on me. Try using Ataru or Makashi instead."

The Sith's face looked as though it was about to explode. He was so furious with her now that he couldn't even speak. Saliva dripped down his chin and sprayed out from between his teeth. He didn't change his lightsaber form though.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you," Ferros laughed. "If you think you can beat me with Soresu form, then go for it. Hang on a second…" she deactivated her saber and put her hands on her hips, putting her weight onto her left leg. Her mouth opened slightly with realisation, involuntarily forming into a smile. "You don't know any other forms, do you?"

The Sith started sweating profusely as Ferros broke down his confidence little by little.

"How about this then," she offered. "I'll use Soresu as well. We'll both use it, so I won't have an unfair advantage. And I won't use the Force to attack you. How does that sound?"

"You do what you want, girl. I'll kill you for this insult."

By now, the rest of Ferros' Special Forces squad had gathered around to watch. Most were jeering at the Sith, the rest were cheering Ferros on.

The Sith let out a beast-like yell as he stepped forward and swung powerfully. Ferros easily blocked the blow and pushed back, parrying and blocking strike after strike easily. The Sith became impatient then, ditching the proper defensive Soresu technique and instead going for brute force. This wasn't a problem for Ferros either. She just kept parrying and dodging, each blow missing her by mere centimetres, frustrating the Sith even more. Eventually she tired of it and disarmed him, flicking his red saber a few metres away from him. She stepped forward for the killing blow, and was promptly lifted off her feet. She felt her throat violently close up, blocking her larynx completely and preventing her from even making desperate squeaking noises. She immediately used a Jedi breath control technique that she'd learnt from Ashlyn while on a mission to Mon Calamari several years ago, enabling her body to feed off the miniscule amounts of oxygen still left.

_So they do know some techniques after all._

The soldiers became restless, aiming their blaster rifles at the Sith and preparing to execute him, before Ferros waved them down even as she was still being held in mid-air. She deactivated her violet saber and put it back on her belt.

"Are you going to change your mind about using the Force now?" the Sith asked mockingly. "You haven't got long, little girl. I can feel your consciousness _slipping_," he said, and squeezed her arteries shut as well.

Ferros kicked her legs in mock helplessness, and the Sith raised her even higher, laughing as her hips reached his shoulder height. She continued to kick wildly until he stepped closer, then quickly snapped her thighs against the sides of his neck and squeezed tightly. He immediately lost his concentration and started prying at her legs, as Ferros gulped down several large breaths of air. Her body slumped backwards, now no longer being held up by her throat, and her hands touched the ground. She re-crossed her ankles and squeezed tighter still, causing the Sith to grope desperately at her legs and make strange moaning noises. She balanced herself on the ground in a handstand, pulled downwards with her hips and the Sith fell to his knees, clutching and prying ever more desperately as Ferros squeezed his neck tighter and tighter.

"I wanna know something," she said calmly. "Are you considered powerful among the Sith?"

The Sith Lord didn't answer, instead he tried to augment his strength with the Force to pry her thighs away from his neck. Ferros loosed a burst of strength as she detected his use of the Force, and the Sith's eyes bulged as his moaning noises got higher and higher pitched.

"Is this how you want to die?" she asked, raising her voice slightly. "'Cause we can do this the quick way or the slow way. Your choice. Tell me if you're considered powerful among the Sith."

Ferros was about to give up asking when the Sith Lord futilely started trying to nod his head. She untangled herself from him and got to her feet, igniting her violet saber again and pointing it at his face. The Sith fell forwards onto his hands, breathing deeply for a while and looking extremely dazed.

"Yes," he answered.

"How 'yes'?" Ferros asked. "Compared to Artaith."

"Your ignorance is astounding," he spat. "I told you already. I am a Lord. Artaith is a Darth. You have your Padawans and Knights and Masters, this is no different. Why do you care anyway? You beat me easily and you beat my master, what does it matter?"

"That's none of your concern," she snapped.

"I don't care anyway," he turned away. "Kill me. I'm not going back to Dromund Kaas now, not after this…_humiliation_."

"You could help us," she offered. "Help the Republic."

The Sith laughed heartily. "Why would you want someone on your side if a simple question was enough to get them to change their allegiance?"

"Because on _our_ side, you might find something worth fighting for," she answered. "You might see something you like."

"No thanks, Jedi scum. The Sith don't surrender to little girls."

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Ferros' arm with the Force and thrust it forwards. Her saber sunk into his forehead and came out the other side, boiling his skull and its contents before she quickly deactivated the blade again. The Sith's body fell limply to the ground.

"General, can I ask you something?" the lieutenant asked.

"Sure," she answered, hooking her saber back onto her belt. "What's up?"

"Why didn't you just kill them both at the start, instead of drawing the fight out longer?"

"Because I wanted to know what they've been trained. Part of the reason we're here is because there was likely to be a Sith presence, and we wanted to test some theories we have on their level of skill compared to ours."

"And what did you find?"

Ferros grinned. "I found that I was right about them. They're not trained properly." She floated the Sith's two red sabers over to the lieutenant, who grabbed them and put them in a pouch on his trousers. "Don't get any ideas, you lot. They're still powerful, and they'll make a meal out of most soldiers. But we haven't met the Sith Emperor yet. That's where all the power will be. Now, status report."

"All Chiss forces eliminated, sensor hub deactivated. Lieutenants Harvall and Domice are guarding the facility, and we await further instructions," the highest ranking soldier in this squad, a Commander, reported.

"Very good," Ferros replied. "Let's get moving, then. I sense that Ashlyn isn't too far ahead of us."

"General Hekla?" the Commander asked just as Ferros began to walk off.

"I just wanted to say, on behalf of the squad, that we were wrong about you, ma'am. We honestly thought you'd be a little…girly, ma'am."

"Are you saying I'm not girly?" she snapped, pretending to be upset.

"No, ma'am. I mean, yes ma'am," the Commander stammered. "What I mean to say is, you're a hell of a good fighter for a sixteen year-old girl. We thought you were history when you told us you were going straight for them. We were all highly impressed, and we're very proud to be in this squad."

All the soldiers then followed the Commander in a salute, and Ferros smiled. She hadn't been expecting them to say anything at all, much less a complement like that. She saluted them in return.

"Aw, thanks guys. I was really impressed with how quickly you took out those Chiss, too. I thought a hundred troops would take a little longer to get rid of."

"They'll need to send a whole brigade to stop us, ma'am," the Commander said proudly.

"So I've seen," she said. "Come on then, we've gotta meet up with Ashlyn and Stepfyn. We have a planet to capture."

* * *

Gavin and Runice landed discreetly on Ord Mantell, using one of the Jedi shuttles instead of X-Wings, as they thought using a fighter for transport might make the Mantellians suspicious. They hadn't even made it a kilometre from the landing pad when Runice stopped dead in her tracks, her lekku twitching subtly.

"Master?"

"Quiet your mind, Gavin. What do you sense?"

Gavin closed his eyes and stretched his awareness, then felt something dark and foreboding nearby. He opened his eyes again and looked at Runice.

"I sense an ambush," he replied. "Someone is waiting for us."

"Someone with friends," she added. "Come on then."

Runice began walking straight towards the dark power he'd felt.

"The tracking beacon says Versca went _this_ way, master," Gavin said, pointing to the east.

"Then I'd say that the beacon has been compromised, wouldn't you?"

Gavin thought about that for a moment, trying to find the logic in it. Runice chuckled and put a red-skinned hand on his shoulder.

"Why would the Mantellians ambush us if they didn't know we were coming?" she asked. "The trap is set right in the middle of the docks. They obviously didn't know when or where we would be coming from, but they know where we're going, and they put the ambush between us and our destination. If we go to where we think Versca is now, we'll probably find nothing but a building full of explosives or something like that. In retrospect, it probably wasn't smart of us to arrive in a Jedi shuttle."

"So you're saying it's safer to walk right into an ambush?"

"Absolutely," she smiled. "It's occurred to me that this whole exercise was probably engineered by Versca herself, for what reason I have no idea."

"Let's find out then," Gavin said, and led the way into the trap.

They followed the path out of the docks, and pretty soon the streets of Worlport became empty and the lighting became dim. The two Jedi stopped walking and stood still, observing their surroundings. Two tall ferrocrete buildings surrounded them on the left and right, and directly ahead of them was a retaining wall. The main paths continued on to the left and right of the buildings.

"Full squad of troops and a Sith Lord. Powerful one," Gavin whispered.

"Take the troops out first. I'll take the Sith."

A reasonably tall human stepped forwards out of the shadows then, followed by a dozen Chiss troops. He was strongly built, with military style short-cropped hair, and about six feet tall. He exuded an aura of arrogance that Gavin found strangely familiar.

"Jarvis…" Runice gasped.

"Not anymore, not to you," he grinned like an angry kath hound. "Now it's simply Darth Veneral."

"Why would you tell us that?" Runice asked, her voice flat and emotionless. "Why spend all this time pretending to be a senator and then suddenly tell us you're a Sith Lord?"

"Because now I'm a governor," he grinned even wider. "This planet is _mine_, Runice Arriah. It's your word against mine, now."

"This _was_ a trap. The _whole thing_ was a trap."

"How observant of you," Veneral sniggered as the Chiss soldiers surrounded the two Jedi. "Kill them," he ordered.

Gavin and Runice used the Force to send out a telekinetic wave that knocked all the Chiss to the ground. Runice went straight for Darth Veneral, Gavin quickly leapt to the closest Chiss and plunged his white lightsaber through his neck, then flung the saber out in an arc that sliced another six of them in half.

_Five to go._

He blocked several incoming blaster bolts, three of which he sent sailing straight back, striking the soldiers in the head and killing them instantly.

_Two to go._

The two remaining Chiss stopped firing and looked at each other briefly, fear contorting their faces, then decided to run for their lives. Veneral grunted angrily, Force-pushing Runice away slightly. He whipped his crimson lightsaber, flicking it left and right, slicing through the middle of the fleeing Chiss soldiers' heads. The two bodies plummeted to the ground, closely followed by the tops of their skulls. Veneral didn't even blink.

"You can't win, Jarvis," Runice taunted as she and Gavin began circling him. "Tell us why Senator Versca is here on Ord Mantell."

Veneral laughed and took guard. Runice and Gavin immediately recognised Shii-Cho form, the most basic of all the lightsaber forms. The two of them fell straight into Makashi form and wondered what Veneral was up to. _Surely he knows better than to use that form against us._

Runice lunged with her purple saberstaff, which was only half lit, and Veneral backed away, leaving himself open to attack from Gavin. Gavin leapt forward and tried for an overhead strike, but Veneral parried it easily and Gavin flew past, landing on his feet. Runice swung upwards to her right then, and Veneral only just managed to parry the blow, nearly losing his hand in the process. He saw Gavin's next attack coming and quickly grabbed his neck with the Force, holding him in the air briefly before hurling him at Runice. Runice caught him and Gavin quickly righted himself again as Veneral recomposed himself.

In a split second, Veneral appeared behind them. Gavin was shocked at the speed, and didn't even have time to react before Veneral kicked him hard in the back, sending him sprawling onto the ground several metres away. Runice had sensed Veneral's use of Force Speed before he'd even made a move, and just as he was kicking Gavin she elbowed him in the face. Not wanting to give him any time to recover, she launched him as hard as she could into the nearby retaining wall, loosening the whole structure and causing dust to rain down on him.

Gavin had gotten to his feet then, and charged straight at Veneral while he was still getting back up. Veneral held the young Jedi in mid-air again, choking him telekinetically and grinning wickedly at Runice. He pointed his lightsaber at Gavin's head and used the Force to pull him onto it. Runice's eyes went wide with horror and she instinctively pushed Veneral's arm aside, but too late. The crimson blade skewered Gavin through the shoulder, and he screamed in pain. Veneral sniggered, then Force-pushed Gavin hard into the adjacent wall, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Runice's eyes filled with hate, and she ignited the other end of her saberstaff. She understood then why Veneral had been using such a basic lightsaber form against two trained Jedi.

_It was never the saber combat he was concerned about. It was the Force combat._

She grunted in anger and went straight at Veneral. Her double-bladed lightsaber was a blur of purple energy as she struck at him so quickly, so often that he was forced to concede ground. She could sense him using the Force to augment his reaction times, and started varying up her strikes, spinning and crouching randomly to throw him off. It worked, and Veneral tried another Force Choke, but he was too close to her and she just kicked him in the face repeatedly until he could take no more and let her go.

Veneral knew he was in trouble now, and glanced over at Gavin, still slumped against the wall he'd been smashed into.

"Don't even think about it," Runice snarled.

She ripped Veneral's lightsaber from his grasp as he returned his gaze back to her. She held it in her left hand and raised it up to shoulder-height, then electrified it with Force Lightning until the power cell ruptured. Smoke poured out from the pommel and the activation stud. She dropped it to the ground, then stamped on it, crushing the emitter matrix and focusing crystal to dust.

"Tell me why Versca's here. Now."

"Runice, Runice, Runice," Veneral chuckled. "My dear Runice. You really think you've won? You think you can defeat _me_? I know all about your past, Twi'lek. The Emperor knows you and your past too. My dear, stupid, promiscuous, voluptuous Runice. You can't win, and the Emperor _knows_ it, _Darth Vorcyl_."

He spat Runice's old Sith title as if it tasted horrible to him, then reached his hands up in the air. Runice heard crumbling, then looked up and realised what he was doing. She bolted over to Gavin and quickly scooped the boy up, carrying him back to the docks as quickly as she could. Not a moment after she'd escaped, the two surrounding buildings came down.

Gavin woke up then, and smiled when he saw where he was.

"I could get used to this," he chuckled, his voice muffled.

Runice looked down at him and saw that his face was buried in her left breast. She'd only just had enough time to scoop him up before Veneral pulled the buildings down, and hadn't bothered with comfort. Her face went from her normal pale red to almost crimson in an instant, and she immediately put Gavin down.

"I'm so sorry, Gavin, that's so embarrassing. I didn't really have time, Veneral was about to pull the roof down on us-"

"It's okay, master. If you ever feel like carrying me out of a building again, I won't object."

He laughed some more as Runice's face formed a smile. She had to admit, it certainly lightened the mood.

"Teenagers," she sighed. "Come on, let's get you back to Coruscant. That wound is gonna need some attention. Plus, now that Versca and Jarvis both know we're here, if we stay much longer we're gonna cause some serious political _tarkona_."


	6. Chapter 6

Gavin fingered the edge of his through-and-through shoulder wound, testing it against his pain threshold so he'd know how careful to be with it. He'd suffered blaster burns and broken bones before, but this was on a whole different level and he wasn't sure how different it was quite yet. Being Mandalorian, the pain was something he could deal with quite easily, and he refused to let Runice do anything for him. He sat in the co-pilot's chair as the Jedi shuttle journeyed through the mesmerising light of hyperspace.

"Stop playing with your hole," Runice said, a smile coming to her face even as she finished speaking.

Gavin looked at her incredulously, immediately picking up on his master's dirty joke.

"You really are such a Twi'lek sometimes, you know that?"

Runice grinned, not turning away from the viewport. "Still, you shouldn't play with it. Hands are dirty, you'll infect the wound."

Gavin did as he was told, then pretended to busy himself with navigational duties.

"Did you know Jarvis was a Sith Lord?" he asked after a while.

Runice's expression turned serious. "I had a feeling he might be, but he never showed any outward signs of Force sensitivity so it was impossible to tell for certain. He's learnt to shut his presence in the Force down to near negligible levels, so it's almost impossible to tell any difference between him and anyone else."

"Do you think he's strong?"

Runice turned and smiled at Gavin, then ruffled his hair. "It's not so simple as strong and weak," she explained. "As far as outright skill and power go, no, he isn't the strongest I've ever encountered. Your sister would be more than a match for him if you go by that. But Jarvis has something that your big sister isn't as proficient at: cunning. Remember, he's a politician. He's trained extensively in deception and stuff like that. _That's_ what makes him so dangerous, not just his power."

Gavin considered that for a few moments. "I've never really thought about it like that before," he admitted. "Do you think he's a Dark Councillor?"

"Oh almost definitely," Runice nodded vigorously. She then turned and looked back at Gavin, seemingly studying him. "You're worried about something."

"Yeah," he answered. "They don't seem strong enough to start trying to take over the galaxy. The Sith, I mean. They seem pretty weak to me."

"Even when Jarvis slammed you into a wall and knocked you unconscious?" Runice rebutted.

"So he should, I'm only a Padawan and he's a Dark Councillor."

Runice shook her head in disappointment. "Gavin, I'm gonna seem pretty harsh for a little while. I don't want you to get upset or take it the wrong way or anything. I'm not having a go at you, I'm just trying to highlight some things that you should be aware of."

Gavin gave her a quizzical look, his left eyebrow raised and his right one frowning.

"You took out those troopers pretty quickly. That was well done. But you didn't even hit Jarvis _once_. Not once. You can't go around calling the Sith weak when you perform like that against them. The word 'arrogant' comes to mind, closely followed by 'hypocrisy'-"

"But master," Gavin interrupted, "surely you-"

"I'm not done yet, Gav," Runice snapped. "You need to learn this. To do that you need to listen and absorb. At the moment you're just hearing me out, waiting until you get a chance to speak again. Now pay attention.

"Jarvis may not be especially powerful or skilful compared to us, but he's _cunning_. That's what I was trying to tell you. The moment you started charging in recklessly at him, you gave yourself away as inexperienced and cocky. Jarvis knew damn well that he didn't have a chance in a straight fight, so he used you to protect himself from me. Putting you into the line of fire all the time, threatening to target you while unconscious, that sort of thing. And you helped him by putting yourself in vulnerable positions. What happens when you charge at another Jedi with your lightsaber drawn, all gung-ho?"

Gavin's posture slumped and his gaze dropped as he realised the mistakes he'd made. "You leave yourself open to Force attacks."

"Exactly," Runice quipped. "Jarvis knew that I'd rush to protect you, so he didn't even _need_ to go after me. All he had to do was wait for you to attack and then Force choke you."

Gavin's mind filled with depression and self-loathing as he figured out just how stupid he'd been, and how much danger he put both himself and his master in. As the thoughts began to take hold, he felt a warm, comforting presence in the Force and looked up to see Runice smiling at him.

"Hey, didn't I say I don't want you getting upset? And that I'm not having a go at you?"

Gavin nodded back at her.

"I'm only telling you this because it'll make you a smarter and stronger warrior," she said. "That's my job, to teach you and prepare you for life as a Jedi Knight. You think I didn't have the same problems as you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "What problems?"

Runice snorted. "What problems, indeed. I remember a certain mission I'd been given by Darth Caeer after he discovered my special talent for seduction. I'd been sent to the Jedi Temple to try and steal some data, and on the way out I ran into Lenny. He didn't realise I was a Sith, so I thought it best to seduce him. That way, when he never saw me again afterwards he'd just think he'd been stood up or something and there'd be no suspicions. I told Caeer about it and he insisted I go back and try to seduce Kayla too. He thought we could win her over to the dark side, and I thought I could pull it off. I didn't, and I almost got killed in the process. All I had to do was think objectively about it, and I'd have known it wouldn't work. Instead, I just convinced myself that I was the best of the best and there was no way it would fail as long as I do it right. I didn't take into consideration that maybe Kayla was a little bit stronger and smarter than Lenny, or that my Force power wouldn't work as well on another girl as it did on Lenny. I was lucky, and ever since then I refuse to take stupid chances. Confidence is good, but blind arrogance is completely different."

Gavin took in the whole story quietly and thoughtfully, not saying a word the entire time. He just nodded.

"I think I understand," he replied with solemnity. "You're saying I might know what I'm capable of myself, but not what my enemy is capable of."

"Sort of," she answered, scrunching her face up a little and gesturing with her hand. "I'm saying that you need to think objectively about things before you do them. Don't just assume, and never let your pride get in the way."

"I understand, master," he replied, still seeming a little down.

"And remember," she ruffled his hair again, a warm smile spread across her face. "You're only fourteen. No one's expecting you to set the world on fire just yet."

"Ferry's the one doing that," his sulked, his expression drooping again.

"Ferry has her issues too, don't you worry about that," Runice assured him. "She's not as reckless as you, but she's more arrogant. Why are you comparing yourself to her anyway? She's sixteen, you're fourteen. She's got two whole years on you, and she's more physically developed than you are as well."

"I know, I'm just a bit…" he trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

"You don't have to tell me," Runice smiled, rubbing his back. "There _is_ a balance between depressed and arrogant, you know. Just think about what you do before you do it, but don't _over_think it. Keep it real, and you'll be fine, Gav." She stood up and outstretched her arms, and Gavin submitted to the hug request. "I'm very proud of you, and I know that someday you'll be magnificent. Just use that brain of yours a little more, okay?"

Just as she said the word 'okay', Runice's comlink beeped. She took it from a shirt pocket and brought it to her lips.

"Runice here."

"_Runice, it's Devin. Turn on your holocom, we have a bit of a situation arising here."_

She immediately probed with the Force to see if she could detect anything amiss, but she knew as soon as she tried that it would be pointless.

"Just a moment, Dev."

She clicked off the comlink and Gavin twisted his face in an unasked question.

"No idea, kiddo. Your guess is as good as mine," she shrugged.

She activated the holocom and immediately it started beeping as Devin's transmission came through. She answered it and six of the eight Jedi Council masters appeared as holograms.

"No Ashlyn?" she asked.

"_She's disabled comms on Glee Anselm, so we've got no way of contacting her,"_ Devin replied.

"What's going on?" Gavin asked. "You sounded pretty serious."

Devin sighed and leaned forward in his chair. _"It's Taneel Versca. I'm guessing you've realised by now that the spy mission was a trap."_

"It didn't take us long to figure it out," Runice answered. "We were ambushed as soon as we got there, pretty much."

"_We know,"_ Kayla said. _"She showed holo footage of Gavin taking out a bunch of troops on Ord Mantell, probably only a little while ago. She also showed some stills of our night out the other night. She's claiming we're reckless and immature, and that we're attempting to sabotage peace efforts with the Chiss. She's also claiming that Golan isn't strong enough to bring us into line."_

"_It doesn't look good,"_ Jens added. _"The holonet is flooded with complaints about us. Some people are calling for our heads, others are suggesting that our funding be cut. Senators Serluss and Bruodu are trying to calm things down by reminding everyone of the good we've done, but they're not going well. Serluss was assaulted and there are protesters out in force outside the Senate. Versca wants an emergency session of congress to be held to discuss the problem."_

"They're gonna try and force a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Golan," Runice realised.

"_We agree," _Finnschall said. _"It looks like he won't have much choice but to call it. I'm more worried that we didn't anticipate this happening so soon."_

"_I'm worried about Republic Intelligence," _Lenny said, crossing his arms. _"Someone's obviously been bought out, and with the resources they have at their disposal, they could make life very irritating for us."_

"Have you contacted the Chancellor yet?" Runice asked.

"_He's been unavailable all day," _Kayla answered with a shrug. _"I just hope we can contact him before he goes public. In any case, just make sure your arrival at the Temple is as discreet as possible. There'll more than likely be some anger at you two for those troops on Ord Mantell, so be careful."_

"_Hurry back, you two," _Devin added, then the transmission was cut.

Runice sighed heavily and slumped in her chair.

"Not good. Not good at all," she sighed again. "We've been played."

"What about the Army and Navy?" Gavin asked.

"What about them?" Runice returned the question, unsure what he was implying.

"Well a lot of them are loyal to us. They've seen the kind of things that we've done first hand, and they've fought the Chiss and the Sith alongside us. They know better than almost anyone that the Sith will never let the Chiss agree to peace terms with us."

"True," Runice conceded, "but if Golan is voted out and Versca becomes Chancellor, it won't matter whose side the armed forces are on. The Sith are in control of the Chiss already, and they're in control of Versca too. With Versca instated as Chancellor, the Sith with be in control of the entire galaxy. Even _with _the armed forces on our side, it'll be treason to oppose the senate either way. And they won't _all_ be loyal to us."

"But we'll have _some_ of them. Enough to fight back. And if the Jedi are outlawed, what will happen to all the kids? Some of them are pretty young. We'd need a way to get them off Coruscant en masse. A fleet would be perfect."

Runice's eyes lit up as she realised what Gavin was getting at.

"Not to mention the kind of support we'd get from militaristic systems if most of the Navy followed us. You're right, Gavin. I think the Sith have made a mistake by making their move so soon."

"Let's just hope that public opinion hasn't been swayed too far against us. I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

"Ashlyn, sensors are down. Repeat, sensors are down," Ferros whispered through her wrist comlink, still trying to stay undetected. Even though they seemed to be expected by the forces they encountered at the sensor hub, it was still best not to announce their presence to the whole city.

"_Comms are down too. I've already called in the reinforcements, they should be touching down any moment now. As soon as they hit the ground we need to be getting inside that building. How far away are you?"_

"About three kilometres," Ferros answered.

"_Same here," _Ashlyn replied. _"I'll contact you when we're in position."_

Ferros clicked off the comlink and glanced back at the remaining ten members of the Special Forces squad.

"Let's go, boys," she murmured softly, and the squad formed up around her.

They insisted on taking both point and rear security in order to keep her in the centre of the formation for protection, even though Ferros knew that it would most likely be her that would be providing the protection, and tactically it made more sense to keep her at the front where she could deflect any incoming fire with her lightsabers. She was resigned to having to leap over the formation if this happened, and although she'd told them it would be better to have her take point instead, the squad would have none of it, insisting that she was 'far too valuable'.

It didn't take them long to reach the government building. The three kilometre walk seemed to take almost no time at all, perhaps because both Ferros and the troopers were so preoccupied with wondering why the mission was going so well when their arrival at the sensor hub seemed to be expected by the enemy. However, it was also due to the terrain. Pieralos, the Nautolan capital of Glee Anselm, was basically an island, much like the many other land masses on the planet, only bigger. Because they were only islands and not whole continents, the surface of Glee Anselm was relatively flat compared to other planets, with only a few hills here and there, and certainly no mountainous terrain. Because there were very few tall natural obstructions, the wind on the planet could become pretty ferocious at times, and due to the sheer amount of ocean it could become extremely cold at times too.

Pieralos itself was much like what Ferros assumed Coruscant might have looked like thirty millennia ago. It had buildings, but they were no more than a few dozen stories high at the tallest. Most were only around ten stories high, and all the traffic ran at ground level, as opposed to the modern skylanes that Coruscant and other core planets like Commenor and Corellia had.

_At least Coronet has some green bits scattered throughout it, like playgrounds and parks. Coruscant doesn't really have any of that._

Ferros liked Coruscant very much; it had been her home for the past five and a half years, after all. _But as the saying goes, 'you can take the girl out of Mandalore, but you can't take the Mandalorian out of the girl'_, she thought to herself. She had been longing to see something different, and each mission she undertook was another chance to get away from the frantic, intimidating roar of Coruscant for a while.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soldier at point advising the squad that they'd reached the government building.

"Alright, let's head in. We'll go in through the east side. Intelligence says there's an unguarded emergency escape door with no alarm on it that can't be opened from the outside, so we'll use that."

It occurred to Ferros as they reached the door that they still hadn't encountered any resistance whilst walking around. She activated her wrist comlink again as it buzzed to warn her of an incoming transmission.

"_We're in position. Any resistance on the way?"_ Ashlyn asked.

"None at all. This isn't right," Ferros replied.

"_I agree. This whole thing seems like it was staged. But why?"_

"It doesn't make sense to me either, Master. Why allow us to come here and take the whole planet back with barely anything to stop us? What possible advantage is there in that?"

"_I get the feeling that something's happening that we're not aware of. Something back home. I wish we'd been able to keep comms up, just so we could contact the Temple."_

"Let's just finish this off, then we can go back to the _Solar Wind _and find out."

"_Alright then. Entering the building now."_

Ferros turned to the Commander, who gave her a curt nod. She activated her violet saber and plunged the blade into the electronic lock, then sliced through the mechanical locking components as quickly and efficiently as she could. She then moved aside as the Commander slotted a specially designed magnetic lever into the door gap, and in less than a second the door retracted into the wall. Ferros led the way this time, and quickly made her way to her left, towards the front of the building while her squad fanned out in twos as planned, searching and securing the entire eastern wing.

"_Building perimeter secure, General,"_ the Commander announced via comlink. _"No resistance encountered."_

"Very good, Commander. Stay alert, this feels too easy to be anything but a trap."

"_Confirmed, General. We're right here if you need us."_

Ferros and Ashlyn both rounded the perimeter corridor at the same time, both girls with a similar expression of confusion on their faces.

"Nothing?" Ashlyn asked.

Ferros shook her head.

"Let's spring the trap, then," Ashlyn grinned.

They stood outside what Republic Intelligence had told them was some sort of Parliamentary Sitting Room. It had a large durasteel door around five metres across and three metres high, and the room itself appeared to be around fifty metres on all sides and around twenty metres high. The two girls lit their four collective lightsabers and activated the door, which opened upwards. They stood off to the sides until it had raised around a metre high, then they rolled underneath it and took guard.

The sound of thirty-odd blaster rifles cocking filled the air as Ashlyn and Ferros stood at the ready, gazing forwards at two Sith Lords.

"_Haar'chak!_" Ferros scowled in Mando'a. "This is why the bloody building was empty!"

"Is that fear I detect in your voice, pretty little Jedi?"

The two Sith stepped forwards into the light and lowered their cowls. They appeared to be related, possibly even twins. Both were around ten centimetres taller than Ashlyn, and both had long blonde hair reaching past their shoulders. They were both also powerfully built men, with sunken, shadowy eyes, chiselled jawlines and spotlessly white teeth. The only differences between them were very subtle facial features. Even their black Sith robes were identical.

"Aw, you think I'm pretty?" Ferros asked, batting her eyelashes a little, not bothered in the slightest by their attempted taunt.

"Quite," the left one replied in a thick Coreward accent. "Too bad you have to die."

"I was thinking the same thing," Ashlyn replied. "You two are gorgeous! Are you sure there's no way you can maybe, I dunno, switch sides?"

"Ashlyn!" Ferros scolded. "Focus!"

The two Sith chuckled to each other, then paced forwards a few steps towards the two girls.

"No, there isn't any way," the one on the right answered, also in a Coreward accent. "We have you surrounded, Jedi. Lay down your sabers, please."

Ferros sniggered. "You really think that surrounding us is going to do you any good?"

"We shall see," the right one answered again. "Now lay down your sabers, please."

"At least they're polite," Ashlyn shrugged to Ferros. "I almost feel bad about this. Almost."

"Perhaps we can alleviate your conscience," the left Sith replied, pointing to security holocams mounted on the walls. "You see these holocams? They will be the downfall of the Jedi. We don't even have to move a muscle. You're already recorded with your sabers drawn in front of these Chiss soldiers. That will be enough. Now lay down your weapons, please."

"Enough for what?" Ferros asked. "What are you talking about? How's a camera going to be the downfall of the Jedi? Is the Emperor hiding inside it?"

"Very pretty," the right one laughed.

"But equally as stupid," the left one finished.

"You'll regret those words, Sith," Ashlyn said angrily. "I thought you'd be the first nice Sith we'd ever come across. But I can see you're no different to the clowns we met at the hubs."

"Perhaps they are _both_ as stupid as they are beautiful," the left one shrugged.

"You two really don't know what we're talking about, do you?" the right one smiled.

Ferros and Ashlyn exchanged a confused look, and the right one sighed loudly.

"We shall explain the situation to you then. It is the least we can do."

The left Sith continued. "Your Kuati senator, Taneel Versca, has been on the holonet in the last few hours with footage of several of your Jedi Knights on an alcohol-fuelled night out. She also has footage of your 'Master Arriah' and her little Padawan on Ord Mantell, slicing up these men's comrades." He gestured at the platoon of Chiss soldiers. "She has stated publically that your Jedi Order is inept, childish and immature, and are disrupting proposed peace talks with the Ascendancy."

The right one grinned wickedly. "Your Chancellor has been accused of not being strong enough to keep the Jedi in line. Protesters fill your Republic capital, and an emergency session of congress is being requested."

Ferros and Ashlyn stood still with their jaws dropped.

"So soon…we weren't expecting it so soon…" Ashlyn said softly to herself, then steeled her resolve. "You will never be able to control the senate. You'll still be subject to diplomacy."

"Quite true, diplomacy can be a wonderful thing," the left one grinned.

Ferros' eyes widened as the realisation dawned on her.

"Ash…the Sith. You know how we thought they were a bit easy?"

"Yeah, so wh-"

Ashlyn stopped mid-sentence as Ferros flooded her mind with images of hundreds of Sith Lords in the Grand Convocation Chamber.

"We weren't _that _far off," Ashlyn said to her. "A few minor details aside, we _did_ predict it pretty accurately."

Ferros wasn't in the mood for light-heartedness anymore. "I've got the pretty-boys. You take the toy soldiers."

Ashlyn hardened herself up then too and gazed around at the many Chiss surrounding them. She counted thirty-two – a small platoon, so most likely some sort of specially skilled group – and all armed with rifles she hadn't seen before. She guessed they were a Chiss special issue of some sort.

"On my mark," Ashlyn replied.

The Chiss troops took aim and the Sith took guard in Makashi form. Ashlyn didn't count out loud, instead sending a subtle pulse through the Force to Ferros, which the Sith didn't pick up on. Ferros immediately sprang forwards, flipping high through the air, and blasted the two Sith with a Force push that sent them sprawling backwards several metres. She landed lightly and picked the left Sith up with the Force and threw him brutally into the western wall. The right Sith had gotten up by now and began flailing his single red lightsaber at her in typical Makashi fencing style. The Sith's form was good, and his obvious physical strength advantage over Ferros became immediately apparent to her. She was easily able to parry most of the blows though, and the few she couldn't parry she either dodged or blocked. The left Sith came into play then, having recomposed himself. Using both her lightsabers, she managed to stave off the attacks coming from both sides with relative ease before a kick from the left Sith sent her flying backwards. She flipped through the air and landed gracefully on her feet again, then charged in at them both with a Force-assisted sprint, ending in an open palmed strike to the left Sith's jaw. He shouted in pain and clutched at it feverishly as blood began to pour out of his mouth. He spat several teeth out onto the ground as Ferros pounded the right Sith with both her lightsabers, hammering down with forceful blows that he had to use both hands to block.

The left Sith was clearly angry now and Force choked her, lifting her into the air and crushing her neck. He raised her two metres off the ground – completely out of reach for a lightsaber attack – and held her there as she struggled to breathe. The right Sith threw his lightsaber at her and just before it struck she unleashed a furious Force lightning attack that blasted them across the room along with the thrown lightsaber. She fell back to the floor and took Juyo's guard, allowing herself some time to recompose.

The two Sith stood up and launched themselves at her, both attempting an overhead slash. Ferros ducked and rolled beneath them, coming up behind them and Force pushing them again. They sprawled along the ground, deactivating their lightsabers as they rolled, so as not to accidentally slice off a limb. Ferros then leapt after them and using the Force, she smashed the ground between them with a powerful pulse of energy, shaking the whole room. The two Sith were both caught in the blast radius and found themselves in tremendous pain and completely immobile for a few moments, their cartilage seemingly non-existent as their bones vibrated violently from the sheer force of Ferros' attack.

She picked the left Sith up with the Force and again launched him powerfully into the western wall. He struck it hard and the impact emptied his lungs. He gasped, eyes open wide as he slid down the wall and landed with a heavy thud. Ferros moved with unbelievable speed then, leaping through the air and landing astride the Sith's body with her two sabers on either side of his neck. He barely had time to gaze up in disbelief before Ferros separated his head from his shoulders.

The other Sith screamed in anger as Ferros leapt back over to him, and he caught her in mid-air with another Force choke. Before she could escape again he smashed her into the ground, buckling her knees, then did it again and this time her knees hit the floor hard. She grimaced as the pain reverberated throughout her legs, but she forced herself to get up and ignore it. She took Juyo guard again and cancelled out another attempt by the Sith to choke her, which only angered him more.

He charged forwards, his left hand outstretched. Ferros anticipated a Force push, and was surprised when he then shot lightning from his fingertips. She brought her purple saber in her left hand up to absorb the blast, and as he approached she ducked down and swept his feet out from underneath him. His saber dropped from his hand and she placed it on her belt, then knelt down on top of him, her right shin across his throat. The Sith tried to push her off with the Force, but she deflected the blow and responded by punching him as hard as she could in the face. He grunted in agony, moaning as he tried to bring his hands up to cover his face. She swatted his hands away and inspected his jaw, noting that it was neatly broken on his left side. She rolled her right leg into his face and he screamed in agony, desperately pawing at her and trying to push her off.

"Where are the bulk of your forces?" she asked coldly.

"Nt tllng," he responded, unable to open his smashed jaw to speak properly.

Ferros applied more pressure to his jawbone, resulting in more screaming and desperate shoving at her legs.

"Tell me where they are," she insisted. "I don't like having to torture you, but it would help my boys out if they knew where everyone was. This place has felt a little lonely with no one around."

"Spsss yngh," he answered, glaring angrily up at her.

"Nobody has to space anybody else," Ashlyn said, having finished with the Chiss troops. "Just answer the question and we'll be done here."

Ferros lifted her right shin off his throat so he could speak better, and the Sith sighed in relief, then grunted in pain as his nervous system objected to his use of his broken jaw.

"You're pretty sadistic for such a pretty Jedi," he said, blood oozing out the corners of his mouth. "You'd make a good Sith."

This made Ferros angry, and she slammed her left knee down hard on his abdomen, causing the Sith to cough up lots of blood.

"Were you listening when I said I don't like torturing you?" Ferros yelled. "I'm only doing this to get information from you. Otherwise you'd be dead already."

"You're going to kill me anyway. Why would I help you?"

"Because you want a merciful death," Ashlyn answered, gesturing slightly with her hand.

The Sith's mind was so preoccupied with the pain that he was surprisingly easy to manipulate with the mind trick.

"I want a merciful death," he repeated. "The Chiss forces are stationed at the south of Pieralos. They await my attack orders. A small contingent of two hundred should be arriving here shortly."

"How many?" Ferros asked.

"Forget it, beautiful," the Sith chuckled, having regained his composure. "Fool me once, shame on me."

"Fool you twice, and you will answer the question," Ashlyn said with a smile, again using the Jedi mind trick.

"You have fooled me twice," he repeated again. "I will answer the question. There are five thousand Chiss."

He quickly shook himself free of Ashlyn's influence and growled angrily, his presence in the Force spiking suddenly. He then grabbed at Ferros' right thigh and sent a blast of Force lightning through it, and the young Jedi flinched immediately and fell backwards. He reached out through the Force, using all the power he could still summon, and gripped her whole body as tightly as he could.

Ferros felt like she'd been shoved into an oxygen tank, and immediately started to sweat as her internal organs compressed violently. She could feel her bones bending inwards, the pressure threatening to rupture all her blood vessels at once.

"Fool me twice, shame on _you_!" the Sith grunted, a sick grin spread widely across his face.

Ashlyn then plunged her blue and silver lightsabers into the Sith's chest and sliced him into three parts. Ferros breathed an enormous sigh of relief, then got to her feet.

"I could have managed that, you know," she said to Ashlyn.

"I know," the Togruta answered cheerfully. "But I was bored."

"These pants are great," Ferros smiled. "That Force lightning attack got almost completely absorbed. I got a little shock, but that's about it."

"Good thing I secured them for Special Forces, huh," Ashlyn smiled smugly.

"Damn right it was a good thing," Ferros agreed, inspecting the uniform for any tears. She found none, then put her sabers back onto her belt and removed the Sith's saber. She called the other Sith's saber to her right hand.

"Come on then, let's get out of here. We need to speak to the Council ASAP," Ashlyn said, turning to leave.

Ferros followed her, and the two Jedi recalled their troops via comlink. Ashlyn adjusted her comlink's frequency to Fleet Admiral Jellener's.

"_This is Admiral Jellener,"_ he answered, his Commenorian accent sounding almost overstated.

"Admiral, it's General Valos. Two hundred troops are about to attack our main force here. They shouldn't need any help; Colonel Villanov can take care of things. The bulk of the Chiss forces are apparently towards the south of Pieralos, and were awaiting orders from the Sith we found. There's five thousand of them."

"_Very well, General. We're almost done playing with these Chiss pilots anyway. We'll begin landing troops immediately. What will you do now?"_

"We found out while we were chatting to the Sith that Senator Versca's made her move," Ashlyn answered, her voice far more serious than Jellener and Ferros were used to. "She's manufactured some evidence against the Jedi and tried to call a session of congress, we assume to call a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Golan."

"_That damned woman will be the death of us all," _Jellener growled. _"We'll send a transport to pick you up. You can fill me in on the details when you're back on board the _Solar Wind."


	7. Chapter 7

The Jedi Temple was in a frenzy – a relative frenzy, given the nature of the Temple – but a frenzy nonetheless. Kayla and Runice had to leave for the senate, and getting there was a challenge in and of itself. The Chancellor had been pretty much forced to call the special session of congress requested by Senator Versca, or risk a massive backlash from all the systems supporting her, and possibly also some of the Jedi-friendly systems who respected strength. The streets of Coruscant were filled with anti and pro-Jedi protestors alike, and a confrontation threatened to take place, probably resulting in a massive riot that the Jedi themselves would be powerless to stop. Their precarious situation highlighted to Kayla just how vulnerable the Jedi could actually be.

She had wanted Ashlyn to come along too, but she and Ferros still hadn't returned from Glee Anselm yet. They were due to arrive today, and the Force whispered to her that they would have a very difficult time of it. She refused to look into the future voluntarily, and instead decided that the Jedi should prepare themselves for any outcome. Devin was busy contacting their many allies in the military, as a contingency plan in case the Jedi needed to escape in a hurry, and Lenny had already been in contact with many of their senate allies to inform them of what the Jedi perceived to be Versca's prerogative and that the Grand Master would be in attendance at the special session of congress to personally oversee it.

She stretched out with the Force into the Grand Convocation Chamber, and felt the wildly varying emotions and thoughts coming from the thousands of senators. From what she could tell, there seemed to be an even spread of support and disdain for the Jedi and the Chancellor.

"It's amazing, don't you think?" Runice commented.

Kayla responded with a raised left eyebrow.

"We've only been here for around six years, and so far we've helped take back several planets occupied by the Chiss, resolved countless other civilian disputes and assisted Chancellors Golan and Grennar so many times we may as well be their advisory council. Yet as soon as Taneel Versca raises her manicured hand and sows even the smallest seeds of dissent, the whole public starts questioning us. That's _real_ power."

Kayla had to agree; Runice was right. No matter the Jedi's ability with the Force, no matter their foresight and wisdom, one single speech made by a single senator was enough to raise questions about their role and potentially bring them all down. She nodded in deference.

Suddenly her comlink began to buzz and she quickly took it out from a pouch on her belt and clicked it on.

"Talus," she answered.

"_Kayla, it's Lenny. I've got Ashlyn calling through, she's about halfway home and wants to speak to you. Can I patch her through?"_

"By all means, Lenny. Please do."

Runice listened in carefully, shutting out the murmur that filled the Convocation Chamber using a focusing technique.

"_Kayla, finally! I've been trying to contact you for a while now, but those comlinks have such a short range,"_ Ashlyn said.

"Where are you?" Kayla asked her.

"_Not far, we should arrive late tonight. We were held up by a Chiss interdictor and had to escape in a rusty old shuttle. Anyway, that's not important. Ferry and I found something out while we were fighting some Sith on Glee Anselm. Has the emergency session been called yet?"_

"It's about to start any minute now. They're just waiting on a few more senators to arrive. Runice and I are observing."

"_Oh good, I was worried it might have started before we could tell you this." _Ashlyn breathed a sigh of relief, then continued. _"Ferry and I were caught on holocam fighting more Chiss; they're gonna use it as evidence against us."_

"We know, we've already seen the footage, Ash."

"_That's not all," _the Togruta continued. _"We were expected here. The Sith had all the Chiss troops relocated down in the south of Pieralos, waiting for a command to hit our advance force with a surprise strike. They knew we were coming."_

"But only us, Minvessen, Jellener, Golan and RI knew about the operation…" Runice said.

"It's funny you should say that, Ash" Kayla added. "Runice and Gavin were ambushed on Ord Mantell, and it was a joint operation between themselves and RI. It seems that Lenny was right about Intelligence making life difficult for us. They've been playing on Versca's team the whole time."

"_It certainly sounds that way, doesn't it? Listen, there's more. Ferry has a theory about why the Sith have been so easy to defeat, and frankly I agree with her one hundred percent."_

"I think I see where this is going," Kayla said. "You don't think they needed the numbers to challenge us, do you."

"_Nope, not anymore. Why would the Sith need so many Sith Lords if they control the Chiss and Versca gets instated as Chancellor?"_

Runice's lekku twitched violently, striking Kayla in the side of her face with a _slap_. Kayla looked at her and suppressed a laugh.

"Sorry," the Twi'lek chuckled. "I didn't mean to break the tension."

Kayla turned back to her comlink then.

"As soon as it looks like Golan might be voted out, we need to leave Coruscant."

"_That would be wise, Kayla. I get the feeling that the first thing she'll want to do is outlaw both us and Minvessen."_

"Thanks for the warning, Ashy. We'll be in touch via the Temple if anything happens here."

Kayla clicked off her comlink and shared a look with Runice.

"I have to admit, I never thought they'd be bold enough to try something like that," Runice commented.

"It makes so much sense though. I'm just surprised we didn't think of it before. I guess that's probably the Sith Emperor's doing."

"I only wish I could tell you more about him," Runice lamented.

"It's fine, Runice," Kayla smiled. "We'll deal with all of this when the time comes."

"When what time comes?"

They felt the familiar presence of Master Jens Blekkard and regarded him through the Force rather than turn around.

"We just got word from Ashlyn and Ferros," Runice explained. "You know how we all thought the Sith were rushing the graduation of so many new Sith because they needed the numbers to challenge us?"

"I'm guessing that's not correct then," Jens assumed, his voice completely flat.

"They need them to fill this chamber," Kayla said. "They may not be strong enough to take on a Jedi, but they're more than capable of assuming control of individual governments. All they need is a majority in the senate, and if enough key systems are under the influence of Sith Lords then Versca will be able to do anything the Emperor tells her to."

"They'll own the galaxy completely, even the Unknown Regions," Jens gasped. "If Golan gets voted out-"

"We'll need to leave Coruscant immediately," Runice finished.

"Jens, can you please go and warn the Jedi in the Temple about this?" Kayla asked. "And let Devin know as well, he'll need to warn Minvessen and the rest of the military. Make sure the whole Temple is ready to go. We need people and equipment all packed up."

"Yes, Master," he bowed slightly. "I suppose it's not really necessary for me to say I have a bad feeling about this?"

The two girls smirked at him, and the older Jedi quickly left, his brown Jedi robes flailing along behind him. Within minutes the last senators arrived and took their places in the Convocation Chamber, and Chancellor Golan began to address the entire senate. Runice and Kayla listened in carefully, discreetly standing in the shadows.

* * *

After around an hour of hearing Versca and her senate allies talking about how important it was that the Republic negotiate peace terms with the Chiss, the atmosphere in the chamber eventually flared up to the point where several senators were about to walk out. The Jedi had been brought into the argument several times, as had Admiral Minvessen's orders. Versca seemed to be attempting to split the senate and force the two sides to argue fervently with one another whilst highlighting Golan's perceived inability to control the actions of the Jedi and Admiral Minvessen. Senators Serluss and Bruodu were heading the pro-Golan charge, and were desperately trying to remind everyone that the Chiss had been the invaders, and Minvessen and the Jedi had been tireless in their efforts to repel them. From what Kayla and Runice could tell, Versca had her half of the senate firmly convinced and they were not about to change their minds. Not surprisingly, the senators on Versca's side were all from systems located nearby threatened or Chiss-controlled systems, or were staunch allies of Kuat.

"The chair recognises the senator from Neimoidia," Golan's aide, also the speaker of the senate, announced.

"Thankyou, Mister Speaker," the Neimoidian senator began. "I think we are all tired of hearing this discussion – or argument, as it were – being played out here. We must come to a consensus regarding this issue, lest it plague our activities when we should be deciding what is best for the continued security and preservation of our great Republic."

Kayla felt a spike of satisfaction coming from the senator as the Grand Convocation Chamber fell silent. She could almost feel the response he was going to receive even before he finished speaking, and it made her stomach twist in knots. Runice must have felt it too, because her lekku twitched again and her brow furrowed.

"I hereby call for a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Golan," the Neimoidian continued. "This situation has gone on long enough. We need to stop this warmongering by Admiral Minvessen and Master Talus before the Chiss decide to retaliate."

The chamber erupted in a storm of shouting then as the speaker and Golan turned to each other and began discussing something. Kayla knew it was about whether or not to go ahead with the vote, and troublingly, Golan seemed to be doing all the listening, solemnly nodding his head. The speaker then took the stand again.

"The senate will now be in recess until later this afternoon, when the vote will then be counted. You will all be made aware when your presence is required."

Kayla and Runice shared a look of concern as the senators dispersed. Senator Bruodu appeared as he exited his pod – which Kayla and Runice had been standing behind as they observed the session.

"Your thoughts, Masters?" Bruodu asked.

"It seems about fifty-fifty from what I can tell, Ackmus," Runice answered. "I just hope that Ferros and Ashlyn don't arrive back here right in the middle of it. That could sway some of the undecided senators away from us."

"What will you do if Golan is voted out?"

Kayla sighed. "We'll have to pool our allies and see where our support lies first, but I imagine we'll probably end up on Tython. There's an old Jedi Academy there – it's smashed up pretty good, but it's repairable, and it'll be good enough for us while we sort out this whole mess."

"I will do whatever I can to support you," Bruodu bowed. "In fact, I need to spend this time consulting some of my people and some of our allies. We'll come out on top, Master Talus, this I promise you. I won't allow the Jedi to become an endangered species before they've had a chance to flourish."

"We appreciate this, Ackmus," Runice smiled in gratitude. "You're a good friend to us. We won't forget it."

Bruodu bared his fangs in a Bothan smile. "No need to thank me, Master Arriah. We're in this together."

The two Jedi Masters watched the Bothan disappear down the hall, then made their way back to the Temple to assist the others.

* * *

Ackmus Bruodu arrived at the Grand Convocation Chamber several minutes after the call was put out to all senators. He'd only been a short distance away the whole time the senate was in recess, having been in his office consulting other senators friendly to the Jedi and the military and his own people back on Bothawui. He took a seat in the repulsorpod assigned to the Both system and waited while the other senators all took their seats. Before long the entire chamber was filled and waiting for the vote to begin. Ackmus noted that he could not see Chancellor Golan anywhere.

"This session of congress has now begun," the speaker said. "We are gathered here to initiate a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Golan, as called for by the senator from Neimoidia. I am sure you are all aware by now of the circumstances surrounding this vote, and I trust that none of the details need be repeated. You have all been given plentiful amounts of time to think on this issue, and I now ask that you recognise your data interpretation terminals at the front of your repulsorpods.

"As usual, these will serve as the input points for your votes today. I need not remind you all how critical this vote is. May your votes be given in earnest. You may now proceed."

As promised, the DITs at the front of the pods began to light up with the choices of 'Confidence' and 'No Confidence', shown in green and red respectively. Bruodu immediately put in his vote of confidence and glanced over at Senator Serluss, who regarded him with a subtle nod as he himself put his vote in.

After a period of around one minute and thirty seconds all the votes were in. It took a fraction of a second for the results to appear on the Chancellor's Dais Terminal, and the speaker immediately began to address the senate again.

"The results of the vote of no confidence in Chancellor Golan are now in," he began, and the entire chamber fell deathly silent. Not even a whisper was uttered; not a single foot shifted its weight or article of clothing rustled.

"By a vote of fifty-eight point three-four percent, Makrus Golan has been elected to be removed from office, effective immediately."

A chorus of gasps from the pro-Golan senators contrasted drastically with the cheers and whoops of the anti-Golan supporters. Several senators elatedly hugged their aides and planetary government leaders, while others fell back in their chairs in shock or shouted their distaste to anyone who would listen.

"Order!" the speaker yelled. "Order!"

After another half-minute, the chamber eventually fell relatively silent again, and the speaker continued.

"The vote for Makrus Golan's successor will take place in exactly one week's time. Submissions for candidates will take place immediately, and the successful applications will be announced on the holonet tomorrow."

Bruodu's fur ruffled, and he glanced over at Senator Serluss again, who gave him another curt nod before leaving the Convocation Chamber. Bruodu left then as well, and walked down the corridor to meet Serluss.

"I knew this would happen," Serluss complained. "This is a dark day, my friend."

"The Jedi knew as well, Jamieson," Bruodu reminded him. "We must act quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive. Rally our allies, as planned. We won't let the Sith take us without a damned good fight."

"I'll speak to you again soon, Ackmus," Serluss said, placing a hand on the Bothan's shoulder, then took off quickly in the opposite direction to which Bruodu had come.

Bruodu pulled a comlink out from a pocket and activated it.

"_Talus,"_ came the reply.

"Scramble," he said. "You have one standard week."

* * *

"All the Academy's students and equipment are ready, Master," Crinnul Forster said.

"Thankyou, Crinnul," Liina responded. "Go and assist Master Tanski with the flight training simulators, please."

"Yes, master," Crinnul bowed obediently.

Liina was fairly certain that the evacuation was almost complete, which was excellent as it was well and truly dark by now, which would make it much, much easier for the Jedi to leave Coruscant relatively unnoticed. The Jedi Temple wasn't completely at its former glory; much of it was still either in ruins or just hadn't been refurbished yet, so there wasn't as much to do as older incarnations of the Order might have had to, should they have needed to leave Coruscant in a hurry. But due to the small number of Jedi currently in the Order, there weren't that many hands available for assistance. Admiral Minvessen had provided a small battalion of troops to help them out and even though he insisted on providing more, Kayla had refused, knowing that it would make his position look even worse among the anti-Jedi faction.

"Kayla, we're about done here. The entire ziggurat is on its way to the _Corell Star_ as we speak, except for the simulators which are about to leave with Lenny."

"_Thanks Liina, as soon as the simulators are on the transport, I want you on it as well."_

"You got it, Kayla. I'll see you soon."

_That about does it,_ she thought to herself. The only things left to evacuate were some of the equipment in the spires, and Minvessen's soldiers were handling that with Runice. She was about to head towards the hangar the transport was in when a shadowy figure disappeared around a corner. She smiled to herself as she recognised the figure's presence in the Force, albeit very, very faintly.

"It's okay, Makrus, you don't have to hide in here," she chuckled. "This is a safe place, for the moment."

Makrus Golan lowered the cowl on his old robe and stepped into the light.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

The Ansionian hesitated for a moment, then thought better of it as he remembered who he was speaking to.

"My business here on Coruscant is done," he answered. "If I can't represent my people anymore and the Republic will no longer have me as Chancellor, then I will do something even more important than either of those things."

He let those words hang in the air for a few moments, forgetting again that his audience was a Jedi Master and not a politician who was used to dramatic pauses.

"We'll be glad to have you with us, Makrus," Liina smiled. "You are always welcome amongst the Jedi."

"Is there anything I can do right now to assist you?"

Liina laughed softly. "My dear Makrus, you've just been voted out of office by a bunch of foolish senators who don't understand the potential for their stupidity, you've been made into a selfish, warmongering liar by the very same holonet that once painted you as a hero, and you _still_ want to help out any way you can?" She laughed again, then hugged Golan tightly.

"You really are an extraordinary person," she smiled warmly. "If only the galaxy was filled with more Makrus Golans. I'm afraid there's very little you can do to help us here though; we're about done. In fact, I was about to make my way to the transport right now."

"Then I shall accompany you, Master Hriyek. I have no desire to remain on this world at the moment."

"Ooh, I can understand that sentiment," Liina replied. "Come on then, let's get moving."

She began walking down the north-south corridor with Golan, heading vaguely towards the hangar where the transport was being loaded up.

"You're heading to Tython now, correct?"

"That's right," she answered. "There's an old Jedi Temple there that hasn't been used in thousands of years. It's a little smaller than this one – well, actually it's a _lot_ smaller than this one, but it's lovely, and the planet is lovely too-"

"I know," Golan grinned. "I've been there."

Liina immediately stopped walking. "You've been there? When? Why?"

"Well you see, Jedi aren't the only ones who can predict the future, Master Hriyek," Golan responded, relishing in being able to surprise a Jedi Master.

Liina was quick though, and had read his surface thoughts through the Force even before he'd finished speaking.

"You knew you'd be voted out. You knew what the result would be, and you already knew that Versca would take out the Jedi Order straight away, didn't you?"

Golan smiled smugly. "I've had the Temple refurbished in secret over the last few years. It's not a luxury villa on Spira, but it's got all the modern facilities necessary for the entire Jedi Order to keep surviving. I've also had a small military base built nearby, in one of the meadows. It connects directly with the Temple. I thought it would be useful in case you needed to defend the planet or escape again in a hurry."

Liina stood open-mouthed, unable to completely comprehend was she was hearing. Suddenly she squealed and started clapping and jumping up and down, then grabbed Golan and hugged him again.

"You're amazing!" she squealed again, then gave Golan a kiss on the cheek.

"It's the least I could do for the Order who saved my homeworld and freed my people," he replied. "This doesn't even come close to repaying the debt the Ansionians owe the Jedi."

"Oh Makrus, there's no such thing as a debt to the Jedi. But thankyou so much for this, really thankyou. We were prepared to spend the next few years rebuilding the place."

"It was my pleasure, Master Hriyek."

They both heard footsteps approaching them then, and turned around to see Crinnul walking towards them.

"The last of the equipment is on the last transport, Master. It's time to go. We're waiting for you."

"Okay, thanks Crinnul," Liina smiled. "Lead the way."

* * *

Kayla and Devin stood on the bridge of the _Corell Star_ as it travelled towards the hyperspace jump point in the Coruscant system, waiting for the last of the transports to arrive before they set off for Tython. The bridge's holocom unit beeped as an incoming transmission was detected, and Fleet Admiral Deugan answered it. Fleet Admiral Jellener appeared as a hologram as Kayla and Devin walked over to participate.

"_Admiral Deugan, it's been a while,"_ Jellener smiled.

"Yes, much to our mutual regret," Deugan answered sombrely. "It's too bad we speak again under such grave circumstances."

"_Indeed, my old comrade. We have important business to discuss with our Jedi Master friends here."_

"Yes we do," Deugan said, then pushed a button on the console. Two others appeared as holograms, and Devin recognised them as Fleet Admiral Meln Slen'otu – the Bothan commander of the Republic Third Fleet – and Fleet Admiral Rin Renuub, the Sullustan commander of the Fifth Fleet, who replaced Admiral Bruodu after he was caught out as a Chiss defector and killed in battle. Deugan turned to Devin and Kayla.

"Masters Rokanh and Talus, I've called this meeting to discuss our movements now that this coup d'état has begun to take place," he said.

"_Indeed," _Jellener continued in his imperious Commenorian accent. _"We have all spoken with each other, as well as with Admiral Minvessen, and we have agreed that we will not support any proposals for peace between the Republic and the Chiss. We can see what is happening behind the scenes, and we know as well as you do that things are being presented to the public in a manner that contrasts sharply with the actual events taking place."_

Admiral Slen'otu cleared his throat then. _"We will not follow Versca or any of her witless cronies, and we will certainly not become pawns in the Sith's dejarik match."_

Devin smiled to himself; Slen'otu had never been one to mince his words.

"_Our desire is to keep up with our efforts to repel the Sith and the Chiss, regardless of whether the Republic supports us or not,"_ Rin Renuub added.

"_We propose to form an alliance,"_ Jellener said, _"to continue defending the true ideals of the Republic against the tyranny of the Order of Sith Lords."_

Kayla and Devin turned to each other and shared a short exchange of vague thoughts, not giving anything away in their expressions. After a few moments Kayla spoke.

"The Jedi will always continue to serve the true ideals of the Republic," she said. "But there are several things we need to sort out first, such as funding, resources and strongholds."

"Senators Bruodu and Serluss have expressed their desire to assist us in this matter," Devin advised them. "They have pledged to help us with funding and strongholds. Bothawui and Commenor are already confirmed as places of sanctuary for us."

"_I have had words with Serluss since you began your evacuation, Master Rokanh,"_ Jellener said. _"As I am also Commenorian, and actually quite close friends with the senator, I can confirm that a number of other worlds have also pledged to assist us in any way they can."_

"Which systems?" Deugan asked.

"_There are many systems, all of which unsurprisingly voted Confidence in Makrus Golan. So far we have the support of Naboo, Kothlis, the wookiees of Kashyyyk, Onderon, Balmorra, Borleias, Mon Calamari and Ansion."_

"_All_ of those?" Kayla asked in surprise. "I'm impressed, Admiral."

"_They are simply smart enough to recognise that there is more to this No Confidence vote than meets the eye, Master Talus," _Jellener said. _"You have the full support of their governments, industry, military and lands."_

"_May I suggest that we name ourselves?" _Renuub suggested. _"We will need a solid name for our new alliance if we are to inspire support from our potential allies and fear in our enemies."_

"_I have already thought of this," _Slen'otu said. _"Since the Jedi are the true target of this coup, perhaps we should name ourselves after them? After all, it's in no small part due to the efforts of the Jedi that we aren't all speaking Cheunh already."_

The other Admirals considered this for a moment, all seemingly in agreement. They glanced at each other and nodded, then looked to the two Jedi.

"_I found out while researching a few years ago," _Jellener began,_ "that a long time ago – around six thousand years ago, actually – that there was once another situation where the Jedi Order left the Republic due to a coup in place within the Republic. A young Jedi Knight named Jacen Solo had managed to assume control of the Republic military, and subsequently had the then-Chief of State of the New Republic murdered. He was, by then, known by few as the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Caedus, and he assumed control of the Republic. The Republic itself was split in its alliances, and the Jedi Order managed to garner support from many systems. They called themselves the Jedi Coalition."_

"I think that's a solid name," Deugan said with a nod. "It's rebellious, strong, and yet conveys the kind of solidarity that is needed for our continued support from other systems. It also highlights the importance and honour of the Jedi in this crusade." He looked to Jellener's hologram. "You have my vote, Willem."

The other two Admirals gave their support then as well, then they all turned to the two Jedi Masters.

"_Well, Masters?" _Jellener asked. _"Your thoughts?"_

Kayla and Devin shared a look, again trading snippets of thoughts between each other's minds. Kayla nodded to the Admirals.

"You honour us by using our Order as the title for the alliance," she said with a small curtsy.

"_If you feel the title brings undue pressure on the Order, then of course we can reconsider-"_

"No, no," Kayla put her hands up in a gesture of defence. "It's quite alright, it's just a bit difficult to agree to naming the alliance after the Jedi when I'm the Grand Master of the Order, that's all."

"_We are in agreement, then," _Jellener grinned, his bushy moustache bristling out. _"We will meet on Tython in a week's time, the day after the election of the new Chancellor. Until then, our fleets can be safely hidden at any of our supporting systems."_

* * *

Approximately one standard hour after the naming of the Jedi Coalition, Ashlyn and Ferros arrived aboard the decrepit shuttle they'd managed to escape in during the firefight above Glee Anselm. Finnschall, Liina, Kayla and Devin were there to greet them as they stepped off the shuttle.

"Welcome back," Kayla smiled sweetly at them both. "A lot has happened since you left Glee Anselm."

"Fill us in," Ashlyn said tiredly. Although the trip from Glee Anselm to Coruscant wasn't far, neither of the two girls had had any chance to get some rest; in fact, they came directly from the fighting on the planet's surface, straight to the _Lucrative_-class Battleship _Solar Wind_, then immediately back to Coruscant. They hadn't even showered, and although it didn't show much on the surface, both girls felt it.

Kayla and the other Jedi Masters explained to them both what had been happening, from Runice and Gavin's spy mission all the way through to the mass exodus of the Jedi.

"Wow, fifty-eight percent?" Ferros said in surprise. "That's a lot more than I thought it'd be."

"So we're heading to Tython then?" Ashlyn asked.

"Yes," Liina confirmed. "And Golan has a present for us when we get there, too."

The others all looked at her in puzzlement; she hadn't had a chance to tell anybody yet.

"He felt as though he owed the Jedi for recapturing Ansion, so during the last few years he's secretly been securing funds to rebuild the old Jedi Temple on Tython for us."

"He _rebuilt _it?" Finnschall asked in disbelief. "_All_ of it? Already?"

"Apparently," Liina replied with a smile. "And not just that, he's equipped it with all the basic modern comforts that make a place liveable. It's not just structurally repaired, it's _refurbished_."

"But that's fantastic!" Kayla squealed. "What a lovely gesture!"

"_And_ he's built a small military base adjacent to it, so we have a base to defend the planet from and keep our starfighters in."

"I can't wait to see this," Devin grinned. "That Ansionian is a revelation."

"But enough about that, we have some important news to tell you about," Liina said.

"Yes," Kayla remembered. "As you can obviously tell, we've left Coruscant. It's not safe here for us, what with all the persecution of the Jedi and the military. We're not on our own though, as it turns out. We've been able to secure support from all over the galaxy already."

"Within hours of the Chancellor's sacking," Devin continued, "we've been able to gain the support of Kothlis, Bothawui, Commenor, Naboo, Onderon, Balmorra, Kashyyyk, Mon Calamari, Borleias and Ansion. That's just the ones we've been able to get in contact with. We also have the full support of Admiral Minvessen, as well as Fleet Admirals Slen'otu, Renuub, Jellener, Deugan and their fleets."

"Their whole fleets?" Ferros asked, not entirely sure if Devin was joking or not. "Are you serious? That's almost half the Republic Navy."

"Actually it's exactly half, but that doesn't take into account the fleets of individual systems so in reality the Republic still has a bit more firepower than we do."

"And we have the support of all those star systems as well?" Ashlyn asked.

"Financial, military, industrial, governmental and proprietorial," Devin confirmed.

"I'm astounded," Ashlyn gasped. "So many people, so willing to risk persecution to help us."

"We should have even more soon enough," Finnschall added. "Senators Bruodu and Serluss are going to be in contact with as many people as they can to gain more support for the Jedi Coalition."

"The Jedi Coalition?" Ferros asked. "Cool name. Sounds heroic."

"Yeah, we thought so too," Devin grinned. "It was actually Admiral Jellener's idea. It's the same title used by a separatist group around six thousand years ago to challenge Darth-"

"Caedus," Ashlyn finished with a smug smile. "I think it's a great name, it'll inspire hope and remind everyone who the real enemy is."

"Anyway, we've done enough blabbering for the time being," Kayla said, "you two need some rest. Oh and Ferry, there are two youngsters who'd like very much to see you. It'll help our cause greatly if you went and visited them…they won't stop asking about you and frankly it's driving us all mad."

"Oh? Who are these two 'youngsters'?" Ferros asked.

"One is a very handsome young man, and the other is a feisty little one who insists that she's your Padawan," Kayla grinned slyly. "They're in the dormitories."

Ferros' eyes lit up as she realised Kayla was talking about Byz, and immediately dashed off at full pace.


	8. Chapter 8

The _Corell Star_ shuddered slightly as it entered hyperspace, more a reflection of its age than any mechanical problems. Any good starship mechanic would tell you that it was in perfect condition despite its twenty-three years of service – more than half of which had been under the command of Fleet Admiral Deugan. He hadn't always been a Fleet Admiral of course, and a great deal of his command had been as a Marshal or Vice Admiral, back when the _Corell Star _wasn't heading up the Second Fleet. Over time the capital ships of the Second Fleet had succumb to battle wounds and severe mechanical problems while the _Corell Star_ soldiered on relatively unharmed. It was a testament to the prowess of the Corellian Engineering Corporation that it had served this long and taken so well to major upgrades over the years; it was now among the most powerful and well-equipped battleships in the entire Republic Fleet. The _ Lucrative_-class Corellian Battleships had all performed so well over the years and decades that CEC had been commissioned by the Republic to keep building them. Where other manufacturers such as Kuat Drive Yards and Mon Calamari Shipyards had gone through three and even four different models of large battleships in that time, CEC had been making only the _Lucrative _-class.

The genius design of the _Corell Star_ was the last thing on Ferros' mind though. She was far too elated at seeing Byz again. As she entered the small quarters assigned to her – just a few bunks and a refresher, the same as all the crew members – her eyes lit up and she raced over to hug Byz.

"Easy there, Ferry-girl," Byz laughed as he was crushed by Ferros' hug.

She let go immediately, remembering his recent injuries. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot," she stammered apologetically, distancing herself and immediately changing her touch from aggressively loving to gentle and tender. "Are you still sore?"

Byz laughed again. "No, I'm fine, you're just really strong."

Ferros smiled and blushed in embarrassment, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips. "It's so good to see you…you wouldn't believe how much has happened since you went into the tank."

"Yeah, Lenny's briefed me on the situation," Byz said, giving Ferros' waist a little squeeze. "I didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"But we'll be okay, right?"

The question was a tiny squeak, coming from a small girl about the same height as Ferros, but thinner and with long sandy-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She sat on Ferros' bunk, swinging her legs playfully, and Ferros regarded her with a grin.

"_You'll_ be fine, Curstenn. It seems you know how to take charge and sort issues out by yourself already," Ferros chuckled.

Curstenn blushed and looked down at her toes as she stopped swinging her legs. "Master Talus told you, huh."

"That you've proclaimed yourself to be my Padawan? Yes, she told me."

"I didn't mean to presume, Master," Curstenn defended herself. "It's just that when we met, you seemed so sweet and so strong, and _so_ pretty. I've heard so much about you, and everyone looks up to you two. I just didn't want anyone else getting in ahead of me."

Ferros was touched – shocked, even. She wanted to scoop the girl up and give her a massive cuddle, but she knew better than to reward any kind of treachery, even the young and innocent kind. Although she _did_ like that Curstenn had taken the initiative, and maybe she also liked that she'd broken the rules slightly as well.

"What makes you think I'd choose you?"

Curstenn smiled knowingly at her, reflecting for a moment the kind of wisdom more often seen in people twice or even three times her age. "Because you've been watching me train lately, and Master Talus told me you've asked about me more than once."

Byz laughed again, but this time it was less of a chuckle and more of a full-on bellow. "She's got you there, Ferry. If you don't take her, I will. She's a bright little one."

Ferros admonished him with a glare, and Byz instantly fell silent. She smiled inwardly to herself, secretly relishing in having so much power over him already.

"Come on, Master," Curstenn begged, sliding off the bunk and onto her knees in front of Ferros. "I _know_ you don't have any more missions on the cards, and Master Talus said it was totally up to you. Pleeeeeease? I promise I'll be the best student ever. I'll do whatever you ask and I'll always listen carefully. I'll even do your hair for you if you want."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Ferros frowned, shifting her weight and tapping her left foot.

"The correct question is, 'what's right with it'," Byz chuckled, playing with a loose lock that had separated itself and formed a loop above her head. She whacked him on the arm and he cried out, still chuckling. "You're mean."

Curstenn took Ferros' hand then. "I didn't mean that there was anything wrong with it, I mean, you've just come back from a battle so of course it's a little messy. I just meant that if you didn't want to, or you couldn't be bothered, then I'll be happy to do it for you. I just want a chance to prove myself to you, 'cause I think you're-"

"Relax," Ferros cut her off with a finger to the girl's lips. "I was just playing. I was actually going to ask you back at the Temple after getting back from Glee Anselm." She sighed, looking down at the girl with slight pride. "You really are a clever girl, you know that? How did you know I was watching you and not somebody else?"

Curstenn grinned happily. "I've been all by myself my whole life up until Master Talus found me, so I can tell when someone's watching me. Also, it was a little bit of wishful thinking."

Ferros chuckled and stroked the girl's hair. "Well, wishful or not, it was true. I'm really impressed with you. I've had my eye on you for some time. I would have asked you earlier, but things have been a bit messy lately."

"It's gonna _stay_ messy for some time now, you know," Byz said flatly. "So, how about it then?"

Ferros gestured for Curstenn to stand up, which she did immediately, wearing an enormous ear-to-ear grin.

"I'd be the happiest girl ever if you'd be my apprentice, Curstenn."

"Really?" she squealed excitedly. "Really! You really mean it?"

"Of course," Ferros chuckled. "Like I said, I've had my eye on you for some time now."

Curstenn squealed again and jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "I'm going to go and make my Padawan hair braid right now! Can I, Master?"

"Go ahead, I need some alone time with Byz anyway, not to mention a wash and some clothes."

"I already picked out some clothes for you, Master, they're right over here," Curstenn advised, pointing at Ferros' bedside table where she'd neatly stacked them.

"Aww, thanks sweetie," Ferros cooed.

"I'll be out in the rec area when you're finished. I'll do your hair for you!"

The girl skipped off happily towards the small recreational area of the _Corell Star_, where most of the Jedi had gathered in wait while they travelled to Tython.

"She's adorable, isn't she?" Ferros commented.

"She's kind of like a younger, non-Mandalorian version of you," Byz agreed.

"What's 'non-Mandalorian' supposed to mean, huh?" Ferros feigned defensiveness.

"That she won't kick my ass all over the _Corell_ _Star_ if I accidentally say something mean," Byz mocked in return.

"So why do you keep saying mean things to me then, hmm?" Ferros inched closer to him and slowly snaked her hands around his waist, then squeezed tightly. Byz coughed a little as her bear-hug became too tight, and she responded by increasing the pressure slightly and lifting him off the ground.

"That's enough!" he said with a strained voice, trying to break her hold.

She let him go and looked down, then smiled up at him. "Oh, so _that's_ why."

She turned around and headed straight for the refresher, taking a towel with her, a lopsided grin on her face.

"Hey, where are you going?" Byz protested.

"For a shower," she told him without turning around, and immediately she sensed him following her. "Alone, blondie. Cool your jets."

Byz crumpled his face up in disappointment, then left for the rec area.

* * *

Ferros, Byz, Kayla and Ashlyn were the highest ranking Jedi not currently busy when Colonel Kryss commed. Devin, Jens, Finnschall and Lenny were on board the _Inimitable_, while Liina and Runice were busy finding temporary quarters for the younglings. There were other Jedi Knights around, but most were busy either helping Liina and Runice, contacting the few Knights who were stationed long-term elsewhere in the galaxy, or contacting known friends of the Jedi to recruit more systems to the Jedi Coalition. Kayla, Ashlyn, Byz and Ferros were all seated within range of the holocom unit, while a few other Knights and some younglings – including Curstenn, who as promised was busy fixing Ferros' hair – were seated behind them, listening in to the conversation.

Kryss had called after hearing about recent events via the holonet, and the Jedi had explained to him about the traps laid for them at Ord Mantell and Glee Anselm, as well as the Vote of No Confidence and the Jedi Coalition. He appeared to be more disappointed than shocked.

"_So Republic Intelligence is in on it as well," he noted, scratching his chin. "I never trusted them, you know."_

"You don't trust _any_ intelligence corps, _ba'vodu_," Ferros grinned.

"I'd be disappointed if he did," Ashlyn said.

"Anyway, how's your investigation coming along, Brellin?" Kayla asked.

Kryss sighed and put his hands on his hips. _"Dead end after dead end, I'm afraid. _Mand'alor_ has returned, and he brought back dozens and dozens of new recruits. Looks like his alibi checks out after all. I sincerely doubt that he has anything to do with the gauntlet."_

"Damn, that was our most promising lead," Ashlyn muttered in disappointment.

"Did you make any new inroads at all?" Kayla asked.

"_Well, nothing ferrocrete, but I've had a chance to witness General Kinseth and _Mand'alor_ together now, and their relationship is a bit different than what I remember."_

"They're closer now, right?" Ferros said as Curstenn tilted her head backwards slightly, still busy cornrowing her new master's hair.

"_Yeah, heaps closer. I know you're still quite young, Ferry, so you won't remember the old days, but Kinseth and _Mand'alor_ weren't like this years ago. Kinseth was just a soldier back then – a damn good one, but still just a soldier nonetheless. I know he's a General now, but there seems more to it than that. It's like ever since his brother disappeared he's felt like it's his personal duty to help _Mand'alor_ out as much as possible."_

"Wait, Kinseth has a brother that disappeared?" Kayla asked. "How long ago was that?"

"_Oh, I dunno,"_ Kryss scratched his head, _"maybe…almost two decades ago, I'd say. It's been a long time. He really looked up to Dimitri. Well, he was _Mand'alor_, after all. What's not to look up to?"_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there," Byz said, standing up and beginning to pace around. "What happened to Dimitri?"

"_Nobody knows,"_ Kryss shrugged. _"He left on a mission and never came back."_

"What sort of a mission is important enough that Mandalore has to do it himself?" Ashlyn asked.

"_This was after I'd already left for the Republic, Master Valos, but as I understand it he didn't tell anyone. Similar to what our current _Mand'alor_ has recently done."_

Byz continued to pace around, thinking hard.

"_Between Ferry's stylist and your pacing back and forth, Master Akkon, I'm not quite sure what to make of this whole thing," _Kryss laughed. _"You have a theory, so let's hear it."_

"It's Gregor Kinseth that has me worried," Byz told him. "Obviously I don't know his history, so I can't make any judgments, but I think you should check him out."

"_Kinseth? But he's about as loyal as a Mandalorian can be. He's honour-bound."_

"How did he feel about the Sith not paying up after the first attacks of the war?" Byz asked.

Kryss thought for a moment, realising that the young Jedi Knight was on to something. _"He didn't say much to anyone but _Mand'alor_, according to everyone here. But the feeling is that he wanted to stick around and get paid."_

"You really need to speak to _Mand'alor_, _ba'vodu_," Ferros told him. "I think Byz might be right. A Mandalorian glove is found in a room that used to hold Sith holocrons, and Gregor Kinseth was most likely in support of staying with the Sith despite being betrayed by them."

"_It doesn't sound good, does it _ad'ika_?"_ Kryss agreed.

"What about Dimitri?" Curstenn asked.

"_What about him, young stylist?" _Kryss grinned.

"Hey, I'm no stylist," Curstenn objected with a childish pout.

"Be nice, _ba'vodu_. I'd like you to meet my apprentice, Curstenn Lellynd," Ferros said.

Curstenn stepped out from behind Ferros and curtsied politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Colonel."

"_And a pleasure to meet you too, young Curstenn."_ Kryss cleared his throat. _"What is your suggestion about Dimitri?"_

"Well nobody ever found him, right? And nobody knows where he went? I think someone always knows. Even when it's Mandalore, someone knows."

"She's right, Brellin," Kayla agreed. "I find it difficult to believe that nobody at all knows anything about the circumstances surrounding old-Mandalore's disappearance."

"_You think someone's hiding something?"_

"If nobody knows, then someone is lying," Curstenn said absent-mindedly as she continued braiding Ferros' hair.

"_Where did you find her, _vod'ad_? She's smarter than you already," _Kryss chuckled, drawing a glare from Ferros. He flinched slightly, which took everyone except Ferros by surprise. _"I'll go and see what I can find out about Dimitri. I'll comm you again if it's important, otherwise I'll see you on Tython."_

"Thanks again for the update, Brellin," Ashlyn said with a smile. "May the Force be with you."

"_And you, _burc'yase," he responded, then the transmission was cut.

The whole ship fell silent, and every Jedi who knew Kryss turned and stared at Ferros. She realised after a few moments that the only one around her that wasn't currently slack-jawed was Curstenn, who was still busy humming softly to herself and finishing off braiding Ferros' hair. Suddenly she became extremely self-conscious, and blushed heavily.

"Curstenn's making me look funny, isn't she."

"Not at all," Byz clarified. "You look gorgeous, actually."

"So what are you all gawking at?"

Kayla and Ashlyn shared a bemused look, then turned back to Ferros and laughed heartily.

"We've seen Kryss take blaster bolts without even breaking stride," Ashlyn told her. "All you did was frown at him and he jumped like he'd stepped on a landmine."

Ferros shrugged. "Byz does it too."

Most of the Jedi then turned to Byz, who'd started to blush as he realised what Ferros had done. _You cheeky girl. You'll pay for that,_ he thought.

"It's easier than arguing with her. She's as stubborn as a Sullustan mechanic," he lied.

"Sure," Ashlyn punched his arm playfully, then turned to Kayla. "Stubborn…really."

"She _is_!" he protested.

"Byz, sit down," Ferros ordered him, and immediately he sat back down next to her.

Ashlyn burst out laughing then, and Kayla leaned down in front of Byz, bringing her face down level with his. She began to grin as she cupped his face in her hands and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs comfortingly.

"We won't think any less of you, Byz, and we totally understand," she said, then softly slapped his left cheek a few times.

"Hey, what do you mean you 'understand'?"

Ashlyn and Kayla turned and walked away towards the bridge then, both girls laughing loudly. Byz's face began to heat up again just as Ashlyn turned back around. She stopped laughing just long enough to mime a whipping motion, then disappeared around a corner.

"There!" Curstenn proclaimed happily. "All done."

She produced a mirror and handed it to Ferros, who inspected her Padawan's work carefully. She raised her eyebrows as she turned the mirror and her head.

"You look way prettier now," Curstenn announced with a self-satisfied smile.

"I certainly do…" Ferros trailed off, still looking at herself.

"You've done a great job, Curstenn," Byz assured her. "No Mandalorian would spend this long looking in the mirror otherwise."

Ferros glared at him again, and he quickly put his hands up in defence.

"I meant that as a complement!" He put his hands down then and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I better just go."

He stood up and began to walk off, but only made it around twenty metres before Curstenn jumped in his way. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she just stood there, looking up at him with her arms folded.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"You guys are meant to be best friends, aren't you?"

Byz shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. What's your point?"

"So how come you're upset?"

"You saw how she was acting. What else can I do?"

Curstenn's mouth twisted into a lopsided smile then as she pointed back over Byz's shoulder. "You really don't pay attention to girls properly, do you Byz?"

Totally confused now, he turned to see what she was pointing at and saw Ferros winking at him, then waving, with a big cocky grin on her face.

"You give up too easily. She was only messing with you, even I knew that."

Byz felt really stupid now. He'd played right into her hands; done everything exactly as she knew he would. _It's gotta be all that time in the bacta tank…it's playing with my mind. Yeah, that's it._

He decided he was right about the bacta coma just as Ferros curled her finger at him, gesturing for him to re-join her.

"Come on then," Curstenn said as she took his hand, leading him back over to Ferros. "Silly boy."

* * *

Taneel Versca wasn't busy when her holocom started beeping, but she always made a show of being irritated by it. Always, except for this particular time. She knew who the caller was, and she'd deliberately made an extra effort to improve her appearance. To the casual observer this extra effort was completely irrational: Taneel Versca was one of the most beautiful women in the entire galaxy, and that wasn't just her opinion. She adjusted her dress so that her breasts were almost bursting out the top, and hastily pinned back a rogue lock of black hair. She gazed briefly into a mirror behind the holocom unit, and allowed herself a smile as she decided that she was totally irresistible to any man. _It might even be enough to impress him,_ she thought.

"Leave, servant," she ordered her aide, who nodded curtly and left the room as ordered.

She waited until the door shut before she answered. When the sound of the door closing filled the room, she pushed the 'accept' button and a hologram instantly appeared. The hologram was of a hooded, shadowy figure, whose only visible facial features were his mouth and chin. To Taneel, this configuration always seemed to be unhappy, even when receiving good news. She thought it unhealthy to be like that, but he was a man after all, and men were not to be understood. Her Kuati heritage dictated that she should be supremely unimpressed with having to take orders from any man, but she made an exception for this one. Not because she wanted courtship – she couldn't think of anything more repulsive than courting with this man – but simply because of the vast expanses of power he could, and was, offering her.

"My Lord," she bowed, deliberately taking her time in order to keep her massively bulging cleavage as his focus.

"_Senator Versca,"_ he replied with his signature low rasping growl of a voice. _"Report."_

Irritated that he didn't respond as she wanted him to, she held back an angry growl and proceeded with the report.

"The Jedi and several Republic fleets have escaped Coruscant, my Lord. They left immediately upon Golan's ousting."

"_Have they?"_ he replied emotionlessly. _"This was expected. The Jedi are not fools; they will have seen this situation coming long ago and had their response all planned out. The fleets, however…how many have defected?"_

"The First, Second, Third and Fifth Fleets have all defected, my Lord. As has Admiral Minvessen," Versca answered nervously, expecting to be harshly criticised.

His expression remained cold as ice, however. Not even a twinge of a facial muscle interrupted his composure. _"Also expected. The Jedi were not part of my initial plan, and have made strong alliances within much of the military. They are more formidable than I anticipated, but this is of no consequence."_

"No consequence, my Lord?" Versca asked. "But half the fleet is now in the hands of-"

"_The Republic fleet will soon be bolstered significantly, Versca. It is of no consequence. The Jedi cannot fight an entire galaxy of enemies no matter how many fleets they may commandeer."_

"As you say, my Lord," Versca answered with a reverent nod, feeling her internal body temperature cooling down drastically as her nerves were abated slightly by his nonchalance.

"_Tell me about the candidates standing for the election of the new Chancellor."_

"Three candidates are in the running for the elections, my Lord: myself, Senator Serluss of Commenor, and Senator Gaffund of Onderon."

"_Serluss I am aware of already. He is too closely allied with the Jedi to be of any threat. Tell me of this Senator Gaffund."_

"Gaffund is no threat either, my Lord. He is too concerned with economics; he won't be able to garner the required support. He cannot direct the passions of the people."

"_Then your success appears to be all but guaranteed, Versca."_

"Yes, my Lord. Soon the galaxy will be ours," Versca said with another bow, again attempting to direct his attention towards her chest.

"_Yes, soon. But not yet. There is still much work to be done."_

She dared to give him a quizzical look, to which he snorted in response.

"_Once you are elected, your first move will be to denounce the Republic's relationship with the Jedi. Outlaw them, put a bounty on their heads, do whatever you feel necessary, but ensure that they are hunted."_

"Of course, my Lord. It will be done," Versca bowed reverently again.

"_I'm not finished, Versca," _he snapped. _"Your impatience and…attempted manipulations are growing wearisome. Do not make me regret our arrangement. I hate to be disappointed."_

"N-no, my Lord. Not at all, I was simply acknowledging your request," she stammered nervously.

"_Good,"_ he grinned, his lips pulled back, showing his rotten yellowish-black teeth. _"Your second move will be to announce that peace talks will proceed with the Chiss Ascendancy in Worlport on Ord Mantell exactly one week after your election. You will then announce that the systems who left the Republic will be re-joining if an accord is reached with the Chiss."_

"I will appear to be a diplomatic hero," Versca smiled, feeling the warm glow of ambition all around her. "Bringing the galaxy back together."

"_Indeed you will, Versca. And with your hold on the Republic secure, the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Republic will hunt down and destroy the separatist Jedi and their allies."_

"My Lord, your plan is utterly brilliant," Versca grovelled.

It didn't work. His mouth's crooked, twisted smile inverted into a snarl.

"_Of course it is. Do not insult me with your pleasantries, Versca. I despise your kind…your Core-dwelling brothers and sisters are pitiful, cowardly infants, fighting over scraps of lordship and power that mean nothing to anyone but yourselves. You deal in currency and petty tyranny. I deal in absolute control. The Force casts a shadow over everything that you are, and with it I wield a weapon that none can oppose. Not even the Jedi." _He snarled again, spitting off to his side._ "Do your job, Senator. That is all I require from you. You will have your reward when you are elected Chancellor. All the material wealth you desire will be yours, so long as you continue to do my bidding without question. _I _am the one in charge. _I_ have the ultimate power – no one else. Are we clear, senator?"_

"Clear as transparisteel, my Lord," she bowed again, this time not bothering to emphasise her assets.

He spat again, then ended the transmission.

Versca yelled with rage, then thumped the holocom unit with her stilettoed heel, completely destroying it. Sparks shot out from it, and her aide quickly rushed back in to see what was happening.

"My Lady, whatever is the matter?"

The aide was devastatingly handsome: tall, short dark hair, strongly built and extremely well-toned. Versca had picked him out personally, and he was as obedient as a performing beast. Versca's mind was filled with outrage at being scolded, as she wasn't used to being told off by anyone. She was even less used to people being able to ignore her advances though, and she wasn't the type to look within herself and seek self-improvement – instead, she would take out her frustrations on her aides, as she usually did when something went wrong.

Versca looked down her nose at him, then caught him briefly glancing at her chest. He looked back to her face then and was horrified to see that she'd noticed. He began backing away towards the door slowly.

"I'm terribly sorry, my Lady, I didn't meant to…that is, I was just leaving, unless there's something else-"

"There is," she said, marching over to him quickly and locking the door.

She dragged him by the collar to a nearby chair and roughly shoved him into it.

"How can I be of service, my Lady?"

Versca smiled seductively at him, and he began to cower nervously.

"You've done this before, servant. You know exactly how you can be of service." Versca slapped him hard in the face and he began to whimper slightly. She gently took his jaw in her right hand, softly stroking his reddened cheek with her left. "Strip naked, servant. The faster you do it, the more air I allow you to breathe."

The aide immediate shot to his feet and hastily undressed as Versca stood in front of him, impatiently tapping her foot. He was clearly terrified of her, but also hopelessly, obsessively attracted as well. She sat down in the chair and gestured for him to come closer, which he obeyed immediately.

"Now, you may begin your service."

* * *

Senator Serluss fidgeted impatiently with a button on his cloak as he waited for the votes to be counted, then re-counted again. He glanced across at Bruodu, who seemed just as nervous, judging by the raised hairs on the back of his neck, as well as his frantic pacing of the repulsorpod. He stole a glance at Versca, who appeared as self-assured as ever. She caught his eye for a moment, and then winked at him mischievously. Serluss scowled under his breath, but smiled politely back at her on the surface.

It seemed to be taking an inordinately long time to re-count the votes, and Serluss was growing all the more impatient and nervous. As was usual with a vote count of this importance, the traditional procedure was to tally the votes more than once, with systems checks between each count to ensure that everything was perfectly calculated and no mistakes had been made. Thousands of years in the past, a Chancellor had been elected by mistake after the terminals in the Grand Convocation Chamber had been set to confuse the candidates. Due to constitutional ruling, the falsely elected Chancellor could not be removed from office unless a recount was ordered – which, being Chancellor, he did not allow. Since then, the counting and re-counting process was introduced in an attempt to eradicate such disastrous errors.

After a few more minutes of button-fidgeting, Serluss snapped to attention as the senatorial Speaker ordered silence.

"Members of the senate, your votes have now been tallied." The Speaker allowed a short pause for dramatic effect before continuing once the murmuring had died down. "The newly elected Chancellor of the Galactic Republic is…Taneel Versca of Kuat!"

A massive roar erupted from the chamber as Versca rose from her seat to accept the podium. Serluss and Bruodu shared another look, this time of hopelessness, before Versca began speaking.

"My fellow Senators and all people of the Galactic Republic of Worlds: It is with great honour and admittedly some reluctance that I accept this position. I had not wanted to believe it myself, but these are dark times, influenced by some very dark facets of our galaxy. Some elements are even within our own great society. This election should not have been necessary, and it was always my greatest wish that recent events had not turned out this way. I was a supporter of Makrus Golan up until these recent events, and it saddens me immensely that this election had to take place at all. But I promise you, I will do my utmost to work with you all to ensure that our wonderful Republic does not suffer any further harm."

Serluss almost spat out all the water he was currently drinking. Never in his entire life had he heard such absurdity and blatant, rampant lying: and Serluss had been a _politician_ for most of his life. He glanced across at Bruodu again, who stood at the edge of his repulsorpod gripping the rail with what Serluss knew were white knuckles beneath his fur.

"Makrus Golan himself has disappeared," Versca continued. "He has not been seen by anyone in the last week, and we can all only assume that he is staying with the Jedi. This is the kind of treachery you have voted out, and I promise you all that it will not stand while I am Chancellor."

The crowd erupted in applause again, drowning out the booing of the Jedi-supporters. Serluss noted that somehow, the audience seemed even more receptive to her than they did a week ago when Golan was voted out. He couldn't figure the chances that she'd actually managed to gain more support since then, but the evidence was right in front of him. _Perhaps they are just yelling louder than they did last week_, he thought. He didn't truly believe it, but he had to allow himself the thought.

"My first act as your new Chancellor is to announce that peace talks with the Chiss Ascendancy will be going ahead in exactly one week's time, in Worlport on Ord Mantell," Versca said, drawing a few gasps and a look of surprise shared between Bruodu and Serluss. "I understand many of you are now wondering why Ord Mantell has been chosen. I will answer that query with a guarantee issued by every single system that has left the Republic since the Chiss War broke out: that they will all re-join the Republic should a peaceful accord be reached between ourselves and the Ascendancy. Governor Jarvis has offered the Bright Jewel system as neutral ground for the talks to take place in honour of the agreement."

Serluss quickly glanced over at Bruodu again, and both senators knew that the other was alarmed at the speed in which all this was happening. It had been exactly two minutes since Versca had been voted in, and already the peace talks were guaranteed. Before he could think any further on the matter, Versca continued yet again.

"One of the other agreements made between all participating groups was that we would all take care of any separatist movements within our own ranks. As many of you are no doubt aware, Makrus Golan is not the only one who has gone missing lately. The entire Jedi Order as well as nearly half our fleet of warships and military personnel have also fled the Republic. As a pledge of goodwill to the rest of the galaxy, we will be issuing a bounty for the live capture of all the Jedi Knights. The rogue fleets will be hunted down and recaptured or destroyed. We do not recognise them as being a part of the Republic anymore, nor should we. These men and women have betrayed us all; they have betrayed democracy in favour of violent, thoughtless aggression, and they will be punished for their actions. The Republic is better than them. They cannot and will not be allowed to continue their needless slaughter when diplomacy and discussion can be used in its place. You, the people of our great Galactic Republic, have realised this. You, the people, have proven yourselves to be more honourable than the cowardly, fleeing Jedi Knights who claim to have been protecting us from a threat that so clearly wishes to join together to resolve our differences. Thankyou, all of you."

The entire chamber seemed to erupt in a massive, thundering roar as Versca left the Chancellor's dais immediately and the session was ended. To a Jedi, the mood might have felt a little more polar than was obvious to a non-Force user, but there were absolutely no Jedi within many, many light years, and even Serluss had to admit that Versca was a rather impressive speaker, even for a Chancellor. He commed Bruodu straight away.

"_Jamieson," _Bruodu started. _"We must warn the others. This is happening far too quickly. Something is terribly wrong here."_

"I agree, Ackmus," Serluss nodded at the Bothan from his repulsorpod. "She didn't seem overly concerned about the ramifications of not recovering the fleets."

"_No, it's as if she just wants to sway the people's position on the matter."_

"If she succeeds and most of the galaxy turns against the Jedi Coalition, our efforts may be doomed to fail. What are we supposed to do if the galaxy doesn't realise it needs help until it's all too late?"

"_We cannot allow that to happen, Jamieson. We must depart for Tython immediately."_

"We should travel separately to avoid suspicion."

Bruodu nodded in agreement, and the two hurried off in their own directions. Serluss suddenly remembered the tale of Darth Sidious, which Master Liina Hriyek had told him about several years ago. He broke into a run, somehow believing that getting to Tython a few minutes quicker would help prevent the future genocide of the Jedi.


	9. Chapter 9

The weather on Tython was so pleasant most of the time that Kayla often forgot momentarily that there even _was_ a crisis going on around them. It was another bright, sunny day and the light of Tythos felt warm and soothing on her exposed shoulders and arms. It made her feel more alive, in a way, whenever she was enjoying pleasant weather on a Force-rich world such as this one. At the back of her mind she always knew that the pressure was most definitely on her as Grand Master to provide leadership and direction for the Jedi at the moment, but reminding herself of how important her position is or how much trouble the galaxy would be in should she fail…that wouldn't help anybody.

"It's okay, you know," Ashlyn told her. "We're all gonna be fine. You've got all of us here to help you out if you need it too."

"I know," Kayla smiled back at her. "And I appreciate it, I really do. But let's just worry about that cloud over there that's threatening to spoil our lovely day."

She pointed at a distant cloud on the horizon, and Ashlyn burst out laughing at her. "If that's all you're worried about then I'd say the Sith should probably just commit suicide right now."

Ashlyn sat down on a ferrocrete staircase that had been exposed to the sun all day, then loosened her top and tucked it up to expose more of her red Togruta skin. She laid back on the ferrocrete and made a soothing noise as the warmth permeated throughout her body. Kayla smirked, then did the same thing, relishing in how something so simple as lying on a warm ground on a peaceful, sunny day could be so therapeutic.

Her reflections were cut short when several large shadows were cast over them both. They sat up and peered into the sky, using the Force to refract the light away from their eyes so they could see more clearly.

"They're here," Ashlyn said unhappily. "I wanted at least half an hour of sunbaking first. How inconsiderate."

"You're getting freckles from being out here too much already," Kayla chuckled, pointing at the Togruta's spotted left shoulder.

"You're one to talk," Ashlyn teased in return, pinching the bridge of Kayla's nose.

"Freckles are cute," she defended. "Plus, I think I've bronzed up nicely, don't you?"

"You humans and your weird tanning. Togruta skin is much better, not to mention more predictable."

Kayla grinned and shook her head in dismissal. "Come on then, let's go say hi."

As the three shuttles landed at the front of the temple and their landing ramps descended, Kayla and Ashlyn strolled up to them and waited an equal distance away from each shuttle. Senator Serluss came out of the middle shuttle first, still dressed warmly for space travel. Senator Bruodu appeared out of the left shuttle then, followed by Senator Kreeebukk of Kashyyyk from the right-side shuttle.

"Senator Kreeebukk, what a pleasant surprise!" Ashlyn said as she made her way towards the great wookiee, but stopped after a few steps as she realised something was wrong. Suddenly Ferros and Curstenn came rushing out of the temple.

"Senator! What happened?" Ferros yelled, her voice sounding quite distressed.

Kreeebukk roared mournfully as he pulled Ashlyn in close for a hug. Most of the Jedi could understand Shyriiwook, as Liina had grown up around starports – as had Ashlyn – and taught basic language studies to all her students. All the new Jedi trainees possessed a rudimentary knowledge of Huttese, Shyriiwook, Twi'leki, High Galactic and Durese, although there were exceptions. Ferros, Gavin and Xander, for example, were much more proficient with languages than the others and were fluent in Huttese, Twi'leki, Durese, High Galactic, Mando'a, Rodese, Togruti and Sullustese, as well as being able to fully understand Shyriiwook. Being Mandalorian, their culture was based around absorbing many different beings of all species into their midst, and as a consequence flexibility with language became a prominent trait of most Mandalorians.

Kreeebukk moaned softly to the Jedi, explaining that whilst leaving Kashyyyk his brother had been killed by a Republic garrison.

"A _Republic _garrison? On Kashyyyk?" Kayla asked. "What the hell are they doing leaving a garrison there?"

Kreeebukk roared a response, then explained the whole situation to the four Jedi. Serluss and Bruodu waited patiently the whole time, having had the situation relayed to them already whilst in transit. After a few minutes there was a short silence, and Kayla suddenly felt cold despite the warm sunshine. A tear rolled down Ashlyn's cheek – she and Lenny had spent a lot of time with the Wookiees and had grown close to Kreeebukk and his family over the years.

"Come on, we'd better get inside and tell everyone what's going on," Ferros spoke up. "This is pretty serious stuff."

Kayla and Ashlyn nodded, then led the group inside, where Ferros called all the Jedi to meet in the first floor foyer.

* * *

In total, there were one-hundred and thirty Jedi present. There were actually one-hundred and thirty-eight Jedi in the Order; the other eight Jedi were Knights who were stationed at long-term posts throughout the galaxy and couldn't leave, or risk putting themselves or their missions in jeopardy. Kayla tried to keep them as up to date as she could, but the nature of their missions meant that there were only certain times when they could communicate properly.

Senators Kreeebukk, Serluss and Bruodu stood halfway up one of the twin semi-spiral staircases, slightly behind Kayla and the other Council members. Ferros, Byz, Crinnul, Xander, Gavin, Curstenn and a few of Curstenn's young trainee friends sat right up the front near the staircases. Admiral Minvessen, Colonel Villanov as well as Fleet Admirals Slen'otu, Renuub and Deugan arrived last and stood up the back, having come straight from the new military facility next to the temple.

"We have some news from the Republic," Kayla announced. "It seems that the Sith are wasting no time in dealing with us. Please give your attention to Senator Bruodu – he will explain the recent happenings for us all."

Kayla stepped aside and allowed Bruodu to come forward. He cleared his throat, then stood with his hands clasped in front of him and his feet at shoulder-width.

"Much to our collective dismay, Taneel Versca has been elected the new Chancellor of the Republic, with a clear majority," he began, drawing a few disappointed groans from some of the older Jedi. "Her very first act was to announce that peace talks with the Chiss Ascendancy are going ahead in a few days' time."

"So soon?" one of the older Jedi Knights asked from the back of the foyer.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Bruodu confirmed. "There is more, though. The fleets who have joined our cause will be targeted for destruction or recapture, according to Versca. Which basically means destruction."

"They'd rather write us off than risk wasting time and resources trying to recapture all the ships," Slen'otu agreed. "I say let them try and destroy us."

"Let's not be too hasty," Kayla intervened. "We have to see exactly how things pan out before we go out on a mad quest for vengeance."

"Master Talus is correct," Bruodu said. "There is more to this than just the Republic, in any case. The many worlds who left the Republic since the war started – worlds like Ord Mantell – have vowed to re-join if the Chiss and Republic come to an accord."

"That means that we'll be fighting the Chiss _and_ the Republic," Serluss added.

"What about Kashyyyk and Bothawui and the others worlds that are with us?" asked an older Padawan.

"It seems that their support will be offset by the many systems re-joining the Republic," Bruodu told him. "But rest assured, everyone. More worlds become sympathetic to our cause every day. Just yesterday I was speaking to the CEO of Mon Cal Shipyards, and he told me that the Calamari people would do everything in their power to help us. They've offered us massively reduced – practically free – repairs and upgrades to our fleet vessels, at the risk of persecution by the War Crimes Tribunal."

"That's great news," Byz said, and was surprised that the foyer was completely silent except for his voice. He looked around, and saw everyone looking at him. "Well it is, isn't it?"

"It certainly is. But there's even more," Bruodu continued. "Versca has put out a bounty for the capture of Jedi."

"A _bounty_?" Crinnul said in astonishment. "I don't know whether to be disgusted or flattered."

"The next bit of news may help you make up your mind, young Padawan Forster," Bruodu said. "Senator Kreeebukk here was escorting two potential Jedi trainees with his brother Trethriik, who also happens to be the Commander in Chief of Kashyyyk's armed forces, when they were attacked by a Republic garrison left behind on Kashyyyk on Versca's orders. Tragically, Trethriik was killed defending the two young wookiees."

A gasp filled the temple foyer and Kreeebukk howled sadly.

"Senator Kreeebukk," Devin said, placing a hand gently on Kreeebukk's shoulder. "You have the deepest sympathies of every single Jedi Knight. I speak for everyone here when I say that Trethriik's death was not in vain, and justice will be done."

Kreeebukk growled somewhat angrily in response.

"Don't you worry, my friend," Devin assured him. "They will be taken care of as our own. I promise, they will make all the wookiees proud."

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet the newest members of our family," Liina announced as two wookiees descended the staircase. Both wore an ancient-looking lightsaber at their hips, and both were slightly larger both in height and frame than Kreeebukk. "Please welcome Triithbukk and Kaarffror, sons of Trethriik."

Everyone present stood up and applauded the two wookiees as Ferros, Curstenn, Byz and the others around them quickly made their way forward to meet them.

"Don't worry boys," Liina told them, "everyone here understands Shyriiwook so you won't have any language barriers."

Kreeebukk howled something somewhat lengthy to Kayla, who nodded before addressing the entire group again.

"Kreeebukk has just told me that both Triithbukk and Kaarffror have both had some rudimentary training in the Force, thanks to a holocron that was made by the mighty Lowbacca," Kayla explained. "They've actually brought the holocron with them to add to our ever-expanding library of knowledge, which is incredibly kind. I'm sure you'll all do your very best to make our two new friends feel completely at home."

After most of the Jedi and the younglings had all had a chance to meet the two newest members of the Order, Senator Bruodu continued.

"I'm sure you're all itching to hear how much you're worth to the Republic," he started, and instantly every single Jedi fell quiet. "Versca is paying one million credits for a live Jedi, and half that for a trainee. They'll give you ten million for a live Jedi Master though."

"Don't tell me they're paying for dead Jedi too then," Lenny spat.

"Two-hundred thousand for a dead Jedi Knight, fifty thousand for a dead trainee," Bruodu confirmed.

"So what do we do?" asked one of the Jedi standing at the back of the foyer. "The whole galaxy will be after us for that kind of money."

"Over the next week the Council will be meeting with the Fleet Admirals and the Senators, and together we will formulate a plan," Lenny assured her. "Make no mistake – we're not here to hide. We're here to continue our fight against the Sith on our own terms."

"But be aware, everyone," Ashlyn added. "The game has now changed. To save the Republic, there will be times when we hurt and even kill people we used to fight alongside. It won't be easy for any of you. But we're doing the right thing, and _that's_ what being a Jedi is all about."

"Thankyou everyone," Kayla finished up. "That's all for now. The best thing you can all do is continue to train and learn as much as you can. It's a big planet out there, and I encourage you all to go exploring, but take your lightsabers with you. Part of the reason Tython is such a great place is the natural light and dark side balance. There are many dangers out there, and all will be excellent preparation for what you'll have to face in the future. And please, don't be afraid to come to any of us for help at any time."

The foyer slowly emptied as groups of friends reformed and masters re-joined their apprentices. Ferros stayed behind, chatting to Curstenn and Byz as Lenny approached.

"Hey Lenny," Byz smiled. "What's up?"

"I have a task for you," he grinned. "Don't worry, it's far more fun than it is hard work, but you'll need dedication for this one."

Byz raised an eyebrow, then looked at Ferros for an answer. She had no idea what Lenny was talking about though, and just shrugged. Suddenly a little blue-skinned Rutian Twi'lek girl appeared from behind his leg. She was quite tiny, only being around the same height as Kayla.

"Hi Tri'ina!" Curstenn said happily. "Guys, this is Tri'ina. She helped me with some of my training with Master Hriyek, she's a really sweet girl, but she's really shy."

Tri'ina waved at them extremely shyly, and almost whispered a 'hello' to everyone in a tiny Coruscanti accent. Lenny stepped behind her and put his strong hands on her shoulders.

"Tri'ina is one of the first younglings we brought to the old Temple," he told them. "Tri'ina, I'd like you to meet Curstenn's master, Ferros."

"Just call me Ferry, sweetie," Ferros smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Wow!" the tiny Twi'lek squeaked. "I never thought I'd get to meet you!"

Ferros blushed a little, not knowing exactly how to respond.

"Before you get too star-struck, I want you to meet your new master, Byz Akkon," Lenny said with a grin at his former apprentice. "Byz, say hi to Tri'ina."

"I get to be _your_ apprentice?" Tri'ina squealed. "Oh wow! This is like, a dream come true! Thankyou so much, Master Tanski!"

Byz's jaw dropped. He turned to Ferros, and she just smiled and shrugged at him. Then he turned and looked at Lenny.

"Well that's all I came here to do," he grinned again. "You two, spend a little time getting to know each other, okay? I'm sure you're going to love being a team."

Before Byz could ask him what exactly was going on he walked away, wearing a smug, lopsided smile and chuckling to himself.

"I knew you'd take too long," Ferros told him. "I warned you Lenny would do this."

"Did you know about this, Tri'ina?" Curstenn asked.

The little twi'lek shook her head, her lekku swaying side to side as she did. She clasped her hands on front of her and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Master Akkon. Master Tanski just asked me to come with him, he didn't say anything else."

Byz knelt down in front of her and took her by the shoulders. "You don't need to apologise, Tri'ina. I'm very, very happy that you're my new apprentice. Surprised, but very happy."

The little twi'lek's eyes rose up to meet Byz's and a smile crept onto her face. "You mean it?"

"We're gonna be a hell of a team, you and me," he grinned confidently. "What do you say to a walk around Tython? It's a beautiful day outside and we need to see what you can do." Tri'ina nodded vigorously in response. "Okay then, grab your lightsaber and meet me out the front when you're done. And by the way – it's Byz, not Master Akkon. I'm your teacher, not your dad."

"Okay Byz!" she said excitedly, then dashed off to grab her saber.

"Can we go too, Ferry?" Curstenn asked. "Pleeeeease? I haven't gone for a proper walk yet."

Ferros glanced at Byz and he smiled back at her, gesturing with his head towards the door.

"Alright then, we can go. Go grab your stuff, Cursty."

The little girl's eyes lit up and she smiled happily before running off after Tri'ina. "Wait up, Treen! I'm coming too!" she yelled before disappearing around a corner.

"Best friends already," Ferros laughed to Byz. "Now you have no excuse not to spend more time with me."

"I'd never be able to deal with the harassment if I ever stopped hanging out with you, Ferry-girl. Can you imagine it?"

"From me? Or from the others?"

"The others, of course," Byz clarified with a smirk. "You'd never bother with harassment. You'd go straight to beatings."

She elbowed him gently and chuckled as Kayla approached them, having been speaking with Senator Kreeebukk since the meeting ended.

"Has Lenny come to see you?" she asked Byz.

"Tri'ina is my new apprentice, yes," he answered.

"Tri'ina, huh? Yeah, I thought he might assign her to you." She stepped slowly around behind both of them then, humming to herself. "So you're about to head out for a romantic walk together, are you?"

"Romantic?" Byz blurted. "No way, we're bringing our Padawans with us."

Kayla sighed and shook her head at him. "We all know about you, you know," she giggled. "Liina actually has ten credits on you two publically snogging before the week is through."

"Ten credits?" Byz blurted out again, then looked to Ferros for support.

"Hey, don't look at me," she said defensively before whispering in Kayla's ear. "Thanks, Kayla. He better bloody well make a move soon or I'll be annoyed."

"If he hasn't done anything in two days' time, I'll up it to twenty creds," Kayla whispered back.

"What are you two talking about?" Byz said impatiently.

Kayla grinned deviously up at him. "I was just telling Ferry that it'd be a shame if you were too slow and she ended up with someone else. Anyway, don't go too far from the Temple, you two. I want you both in the planning meetings with us. Oh, and take Triithbukk and Kaarffror with you on your walk, would you? I'm sure they'd love to get to know you both. See ya!"

With that, the little Jedi Master strolled off to find the two new wookiee Jedi. Ferros grabbed Byz's sleeve and made her way to the temple entrance, practically dragging him along behind her.

"There's an area south of here I wanna check out. It says it's called 'The Forge'. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Wookiees love a good mystery."

* * *

Triithbukk and Kaarffror had explained the history behind Lowbacca's holocron and how they'd discovered their talent with the Force. According to Triithbukk, the older brother, they'd always had the talent, and even their father Trethriik had displayed a latent ability. Kaarffror insisted that it was the reason Trethriik had become such a successful warrior on Kashyyyk. His two children had been the first wookiees in many, many generations to display any tangible talent with the Force, and even Liina had had some trouble trying to find much information on Force sensitive wookiees. The last wookiee they were aware of who'd become a Jedi was Lowbacca, around six thousand years ago.

The holocron had apparently been made very late in Lowbacca's life as a way to ensure that whatever happened to the wookiees or the Jedi, there would always be some instruction available should a Force sensitive wookiee be born. The holocron had been passed down through the generations, from Chieftain to Chieftain, just waiting for another opportunity to be used. Finally, Triithbukk and Kaarffror came along and at the ages of eight and seven respectively, they were able to access the holocron and learn from Lowbacca himself, who'd created the gatekeeper's persona in his own image. Lowbacca had even included information on how to build lightsabers, and the two had successfully mastered the ability and now wielded weapons of their own, long before ever joining the Jedi Order.

"So how come you left it until now to join us?" Curstenn asked them.

Kaarffror responded with a series of growls and howls, with his older brother interjecting every now and again to add minor details.

"But surely the Chieftain could see all the good we were doing, right?" Byz asked. "It's not as if we were hiding some agenda from the rest of the galaxy."

Triithbukk gestured with his hands and answered Byz's query.

"But the new Chieftain trusts us, right? I mean, especially after what happened to your poor father."

Triithbukk nodded vigorously and howled determinedly in response.

"I'm glad to hear it," Byz smiled. "We'll put things right again, Triithbukk. The Sith won't get away with this."

The two wookiees growled in agreement just as an unnatural object appeared in the distance. They both ran on ahead to inspect it.

"What _is_ that?" Byz asked no-one in particular. "Hey wait up, you guys!"

They eventually caught up to the two wookiees, and found them inspecting the remains of an armoured shuttle. It was probably serviceable, but had taken on a lot of damage and definitely couldn't be flown. Kaarffror growled out an explanation for the shuttle's demise, stating that it appeared to have been crashed, and yet he couldn't see any obvious reasons why. Triithbukk agreed that all the damage seemed to be consistent with the crash itself.

"Do you recognise the model?" Ferros asked, to which Triithbukk shook his big head and growled a response.

"It doesn't look like any Chiss shuttle I've ever seen either," Ferros added. "We better ask Kayla if she knows anything about it."

Byz took his comlink out of a pocket and clicked it on. Kayla's voice immediately responded.

"_Byz, what have you got for me?"_

"It's a crashed shuttle of some sort," he answered. "Looks like it's been here for a few years now. We don't recognise the model at all, and Triithbukk says the damage it's suffered was from some sort of crash, but there's no obvious clues as to _why_ it crashed. We were wondering if you might know anything about it."

"_What's the transponder code?"_

Ferros read out the code and Byz relayed it back to Kayla. The comlink stayed silent for a few moments before Byz heard her humming to herself, then it stayed silent for a while longer.

"Nothing?" Byz asked.

"_Not yet. It's not a Republic ship, that's for sure. I'm just running it through a database of enemy craft we've encountered…there! I've got a match from Devin's X-Wing. It's…oh."_

Byz glanced at Ferros, who sensed the same apprehension.

"_It's one of Darth Rengar's escort shuttles."_

"Darth Rengar?" Curstenn asked. "But I thought he was dead?"

"I thought Rengar was killed five years ago?" Byz relayed the question, looking at Curstenn as he spoke.

"_He was," _Kayla confirmed. _"This was one of the shuttles the Chiss must have been using when they went looking for the second Jedi holocron Devin and I found. I wonder why it crashed though…you say Triithbukk can't find any damage other than the crash damage?"_

Triithbukk let out a single affirming yowl.

"That's right," Byz said.

"_Hmm…have you got any equipment with you? Can you bring back the data from the ship's logs?"_

Kaarffror reached into the satchel he was carrying and pulled out a datapad and some cables.

"We'll bring back what we can," Byz told Kayla. "You seem worried though. Is there something we should know about the shuttle?"

It took her a few moments to respond. _"Just make sure there aren't any booby traps or anything. I can't think of any good reason to leave it behind, and I know Rengar wasn't so impulsive that he'd just destroy it for fun."_

"No problem, Kayla. We'll be careful."

Byz put the comlink back in his pocket and began inspecting the ship's systems. Tri'ina then appeared from inside the cockpit holding a small device of some sort, roughly cube-shaped and around ten centimetres a side. It had a single blinking red light on it and was wired into the ship.

"Master Byz! Look what I found!"

Byz's eyes widened as he took the device from the little twi'lek.

"It looks like a data recorder," she added.

"Nice work, Treen," Byz grinned. "I think you just found what Kayla was warning us about."

Kaarffror then reappeared, also from inside the cockpit, and began explaining what he'd found.

"Is there any way to bypass it?" Byz asked. "We can't afford to have the Sith find out we're here on Tython."

Kaarffror scratched his head thoughtfully, then growled out an answer.

"Well, if you think you can find the right frequency to blind it with, then go ahead. Sounds hard to me."

The big wookiee then chortled happily, but Byz couldn't quite catch what he was saying. Embarrassed, he looked to Ferros for an explanation.

"Don't mind him, Kaarffror. He's just not quite used to how a proper wookiee speaks yet," Ferros grinned wryly, then turned to Byz. "He said he's been playing with machines his whole life, and that it'll take no time at all. Actually…"

While Ferros had been explaining, Kaarffror had already found the frequency that the data recorder had been transmitting and receiving on, and had wired in a simple bug to transmit a constant signal at the same frequency in order to blind the device. Kaarffror growled out a lengthy explanation about what was going on, which Ferros translated.

"Kaarffror says the data recorder that Tri'ina found was rigged to transmit a warning of some kind if it was tampered with. He's put a bug in so that the recorder thinks nothing is wrong, but if anything happens to it, it'll still transmit the warning signal. We can't leave it here forever."

"We can't carry it back either," Curstenn added dryly.

"I agree," Ferros nodded. "Let's scavenge what we can from the logs and keep moving. I still wanna see this Forge."

Triithbukk roared happily in agreement.

"I doubt it, mate," Ferros laughed. "It's been ten thousand years since any Jedi occupied this planet. 'The Forge'…it's pretty interesting, don't you think?"

The wookiee howled and nodded, then got to work helping his younger brother download the contents of the shuttle's logs.

* * *

It only took another thirty minutes of casually-paced walking before they reached The Forge. Due to the distance between it and the temple, no one had been out this way to inspect it yet, nor was there any information inside the temple to explain what exactly The Forge was. Triithbukk had suggested that perhaps it was a place of some kind of ritualistic importance that Jedi once went to in the past as part of their training. That seemed to be on the right track, as Byz and the others all agreed that there wasn't much chance that Tython had once been an industrialised planet.

Eventually the six Jedi arrived at a small clearing on top of a hill, a long ferrocrete staircase on the far side, and immediately they all felt as though they were trespassing. Kaarffror growled quietly, his big, furry hand reaching for his lightsaber.

"Not yet," Ferros whispered, gesturing for him to keep back.

"This place feels awful," Curstenn whimpered. "It feels like it's been poisoned. Even the air smells wrong."

"It's the dark side," Ferros explained. "It's very strong here for some reason. Something terrible happened here. A long time ago."

Triithbukk howled out a question as quietly as he could, which was still quite loud.

"I'm not sure exactly," she answered. "But it feels like sorrow. You know what I mean? It's like years of pain and bitter memories have twisted this place."

Tri'ina's lekku twitched sharply, and the little twi'lek's eyes widened. "Someone's here," she said. "Someone…dark. It's hard to sense him."

All of a sudden a powerful wall of air hit the entire group, and they were sent sprawling forwards a dozen metres onto their faces. Curstenn screamed, but her voice was cut off just as the others all noticed.

"We weren't expecting to find anyone on this planet," came a deep, gravelly voice from behind Curstenn. It spoke with a lower-class Core-world accent, like someone living in the slums of Coruscant. "Imagine our surprise when we spot six Jedi strolling along. It must be our lucky day."

"With two younglings too," another voice added, this one female, but speaking with the same accent.

Four Sith stepped out from behind the staircase, one of them holding an unlit lightsaber to Curstenn's throat.

"I'm fine, Master," Curstenn said calmly.

"Shut it!" the female Sith shouted, shoving her own unlit lightsaber into the young girl's cheek.

"It's funny, you know," the first one continued. "When the Emperor sent us here, we had no idea we'd find a secret Jedi base."

"You haven't found anything," Byz mocked them. "And you're stupider than you look if you think we're going to let you."

The Sith holding Curstenn began to grin then. "You would be wise to treat us with a little more respect." He traced the emitter of his lightsaber across Curstenn's throat as he unclipped hers from her belt.

The lead Sith then stepped forward, casually making his way towards the Jedi, but still keeping his distance.

"I am Darth Hyllach, these are my associates, Lords Dialgar, Dreisiol and Anffodus," Hyllach introduced, pointing out each of them. "You will lead us to your base, or the girl will be decapitated."

"I'm sorry," Curstenn said to Anffodus, the one who was holding her hostage.

"You're sorry?" Anffodus cackled. "Don't be, we're having a great time. We'll make sure to have some fun with your pretty little head before we're done with this place, don't you worry."

"I'm not worried," Curstenn smiled sweetly up at him. "I'm just sorry I have to do this to you. You see, my master is Mandalorian, and she's big on honour."

Before Anffodus could even look down at the girl in confusion, she'd grabbed a hold of his genitals with both her little hands and sent a small surge of Force lightning through them. Anffodus shrieked, letting her go instantly. The attack wasn't enough to seriously injure him – Ferros had only taught her the technique a few days ago and she was far from mastering it yet – but it was more than enough to distract him for a few moments while she recovered her lightsaber and escaped.

"Nice one, Cursty," Ferros winked.

Curstenn smiled at her master, then turned to Tri'ina, who was desperately trying to contain her laughter.

"Explain to us how exactly you're going to make us show you our base when you can't even contain an eleven year old girl?" Byz asked smugly.

The four Sith snarled at them, unhooking their sabers and igniting them. All were red, and all were the same familiar crimson shade that they'd seen so much of. Ferros suddenly realised something, but decided it was probably better to leave the important discovery until after they'd survived the ambush.

"Triithbukk and Kaarffror, think you can handle one of these guys on your own?" she asked.

The two wookiees nodded and howled an affirmative. Triithbukk lit his green lightsaber; the blade slightly longer than was normal, although it looked to be proportionate, given the big wookiee's size. Kaarffror then lit his yellow blade, also longer than normal, and the two wookiees bolted forwards at an incredible pace.

"You two," Ferros nudged the two Padawans with the Force. "I'll injure the one that grabbed you, Cursty. I want you both to jump on him as soon as I do. Think you can handle it?"

"Yes, Master," they said in unison. "Don't worry about us, we can handle it," Curstenn finished.

"Byz, you take care of the girl Sith."

Ferros leapt forwards and lit one of her sabers, flipping through the air and landing directly behind Anffodus. Darth Hyllach speared his lightsaber straight at her, and she deftly parried it aside just as Anffodus made his move towards the two younglings.

"You can stay right where you are, little man," Ferros smirked, still facing Hyllach. She grabbed Anffodus with the Force just as she pushed Hyllach away with a telekinetic blast. Lightning crackled at her fingertips as Anffodus clawed at his neck. She loosed the entire load through his body, and it convulsed violently in mid-air. She let him go and he flopped to the ground, still shaking uncontrollably. He barely recovered in time to avoid being skewered by Curstenn and Tri'ina.

Hyllach grasped Ferros' neck and crushed with incredible force, raising her into the air slightly, then tossed her dozens of metres away. She landed with a roll, her fingers digging into the grass to slow her down. She lit her purple saber as she stood up, and raised them in a cross-block just in time as Hyllach slammed his crimson blade down on her as he landed from a huge leap.

"You think you can win, girl?" Hyllach mocked, pressing harder and harder. "You may have been able to outwit Lord Anffodus, but how will your friends do? How will your apprentice do?"

"My apprentice will be just fine, _di'kut_. Worry about yourself."

"I'm a _Darth_. I worry about nothing."

Ferros grinned at him, then pushed him away using the Force. "Last time someone said that to me, I pulled a tomb down on his head."

Hyllach began attacking fiercely, knowing that he couldn't hope to defeat Ferros by using the Force alone. As she blocked and parried strike after strike, she began to recognise Soresu form again. _What is it with these Sith and that form?_ she thought to herself.

Hyllach began to pant after a while, his face growing red with the strain of the effort he was using to fight her. Ferros, on the other hand, was barely fazed. She began using only her left hand to parry and block, keeping her dominant right hand free. This angered Hyllach to no end, and his attacks became more and more frantic and unfocused. He swiped horizontally at her face and she deftly ducked the blow before Force pushing him onto his back, emptying the air from his lungs. She leapt high into the air, both lightsabers in position for a killing stab, but she felt a harsh blow to her belly and suddenly she was flying back up into the air.

She landed hard on her back and groaned in pain. Rolling backwards, she used the momentum to leap back to her feet and charge back over to Hyllach, who'd recovered and was standing guard.

"That won't be enough," he spat. "You can't win, Jedi girl."

Quick as a flash, his saber came flying straight at her with blinding pace. She only just managed to arch backwards in time to miss it, and instantly recognised her mistake. Hyllach was on her in a split second, and hammered his fists down double-handed on her gut before she could stand up straight again. Having been hit in the same spot twice in a row now, she was definitely dazed this time. She quickly rolled away, her lightsabers deactivating reflexively, then leapt to her feet again and clutched at her bruised belly. Wishing she'd worn a longer top now, she ignored the pain and reignited her sabers.

She brought her purple saber up to absorb a Force lightning attack, and seeing her opportunity, she used her right hand to tear Hyllach's saber from his grasp, placing it on her belt. Hyllach roared in anger and charged straight at her, spear-tackling her to the ground and knocking her lightsabers out of her hands. He crouched on top of her, straddling her bruised belly, and began to punch her in the face repeatedly. After three punches Ferros was beginning to feel woozy. She managed to hook her right foot around the front of his neck and pulled him backwards. She smashed her left heel down on his face before standing up, and he shouted out in pain. Reaching out for his throat with the Force, she pulled him to his feet and then held him in the air, inspecting the damage she'd done. He was missing nearly all of his teeth, and blood ran freely from the corners of his mouth. She called her purple saber to her free hand and stabbed it through his heart, killing him instantly.

She turned around to see the two wookiees controlling the fight with Dreisiol, continually pushing him back and gaining ground. Triithbukk glanced her way and reassured her that they were both merely testing Dreisiol's skills, and weren't in need of any assistance. She turned to her left then and saw Tri'ina and Curstenn both being held in the air by Anffodus. He laughed cruelly as he approached them both, which Ferros knew was a mistake. She watched with fascination as Curstenn double-dropkicked him in the face, sending him staggering backwards clutching at his newly broken nose. Both girls dropped to the ground and reactivated their sabers, slicing him neatly into three pieces. They flourished their blades and congratulated each other before glancing over at Byz, who was grappling with Lord Dialgar on the ground.

"Byz!" Ferros shouted as Dialgar contorted his body in a painful looking hold, sitting on his lower back with her legs hooked under his armpits.

He attempted to wriggle free, but Dialgar – despite her relatively petite frame – seemed to be having no trouble holding him in place. He grunted, more out of frustration than pain, as Dialgar pulled his head back further and further, stretching his spine in a way it wasn't designed for.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "She's stronger than she looks, that's all."

Dialgar laced her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly, causing Byz's face to turn an unhealthy shade of purple.

"Say goodnight, Jedi," she mocked as Byz's consciousness began to fade.

Byz chuckled, which unsettled Dialgar and made her squeeze even tighter, but totally in vain. He grabbed at her arms, and she recoiled instantly, shouting curses at him as he flopped forwards.

"What did you do?" she demanded. "My arms are numb!"

Byz didn't answer. He rolled onto his back as Dialgar moved further up his body, sitting on his face and smothering him. Without the use of her arms though, it didn't take long before Byz had knocked her off of him. He recalled his yellow lightsaber to his hand and ignited it, pointing it at her throat.

"Why were you sent here?" he asked calmly.

Dialgar sat up, leaning back on her hands with an expression of completely disgust on her face. Her messy, curly black hair was a complete wreck after her tussle with Byz, her tight black jumpsuit torn in multiple places.

"Would you just answer the question?" Byz demanded impatiently.

"Why?" she asked. "You gonna kill me?"

"Maybe, maybe not," he answered. "It wouldn't be good practise to kill an unarmed woman in front of my very young apprentice, now would it?"

"You'll just kill me later, or brainwash me or something," she dismissed him, folding her arms across her chest and looking away into the distance.

"Look," Byz sighed, "we can offer you protection, shelter, anything you want. But you have to do something for us first."

She glared up at Byz, then smirked. "You should have kept Anffodus alive. He was weak enough to answer your questions, but I'm not."

Ferros was through with patience by now, and simply reached into her mind with the Force and tore the information she wanted out of it. Dialgar screamed in pain, clutching uselessly at her head and pleading for her to stop. In seconds, Ferros was done.

"They're telling the truth," she said. "The Sith have no knowledge of this place. Hyllach is the one who planted the beacon on the shuttle to alert them if anyone came along."

Byz deactivated his lightsaber and using the Force, pulled Dialgar to her feet.

"Call your master and tell him you've left Tython," he said.

"Or what?" Dialgar asked.

"Or I'll ask you nicely again."

Dialgar glanced at Ferros, then at the two younglings, then at the wookiees. Curstenn tapped her foot impatiently.

"Fine," Dialgar finally relented. "The comlink is with Hyllach."

Tri'ina searched Hyllach's body and quickly found the comlink. She threw it to Dialgar, who caught it and glared at Byz again. She continued to glare at him the entire time she spoke.

"My Lord," she began. "We've planted the beacon. There's nothing else here but wildlife, the planet is empty. We're leaving."

"_Where is Darth Hyllach? Why am I speaking with a servant such as yourself?" _came the answer. It was a low, droning voice that figuratively dripped with hatred.

"Darth Hyllach demanded that I speak. He wanted to rest."

"_He doesn't deserve rest,"_ the voice replied. _"Very well, proceed to the next destination."_

Dialgar deactivated the comlink and crushed it in her hand. "Satisfied?"

Byz offered her a hand to get to her feet, which she accepted.

"Very," he answered. "What will you do now?"

She sighed, recalling her lightsaber to her hand and offering it to him. He took it and clipped it to his belt.

"I can't return to Dromund Kaas now, they'll kill me for my failure," she said. "I should really kill myself right here and now, to deny you all the pleasure of my company."

"So what's stopping you?" Ferros asked.

Dialgar raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're still being rude to me, after I helped protect your precious base? Jedi…"

Byz waved Ferros down calmly. "I'm sorry for my friend, she's used to Sith who are much ruder and less cooperative than yourself."

"You're referring to the idiots on Glee Anselm, and that moron of a Dark Council member Artaith?"

"That's right," Ferros answered.

"Spare me," Dialgar sniggered. "They're as ignorant as they are stupid. Powerful Sith though. Very powerful, all of them."

"Not really," Byz chortled.

"Hmph," Dialgar snorted. "So it was _you_ who beat them." She looked straight at Ferros. "You're pretty tough for a Jedi girl."

"And you're pretty complementary for a Sith girl," Ferros said.

Dialgar grinned lopsidedly, then shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Tell you what," she said. "You can probably tell by now that I'm not exactly what a Sith should be. I don't necessarily agree with everything they're out to do, either."

"What are you suggesting?" Byz asked.

"I'm _suggesting _that you take me back to your Jedi base and re-educate me."

"I thought you didn't want to be brainwashed," Ferros challenged her.

Dialgar snorted again. "I have the utmost faith in the Jedi's ability to train me _without_ resorting to brainwashing."

Ferros looked at the two wookiees, who growled out their opinion in a short sentence each.

"What if she turns?" Byz added. "She'll be with the younglings, she could be dangerous."

Kaarffror added another series of howls, which Tri'ina agreed with.

"Kaarffror's right. She deserves a chance to do some good just like we all got. Besides, we beat her once, we can do it again if she goes stupid on us."

Curstenn nodded her approval. "I'm not afraid of her, and another Force user on our side is a good thing. Master Runice was the same as her once."

Byz shook his head. "Fair enough, but one wrong move and you're history."

He passed Dialgar's lightsaber to Kaarffror, who held it tightly in his big wookiee hand for extra security.

"Okay let's go," Ferros smiled sweetly at Dialgar. "It's not too far from here. You can plead your case to the Grand Master – she'll decide where your fate lies."

"Master Byz," Tri'ina said suddenly. "We didn't check the Forge."

"_We_ did," Dialgar said. "It's where the Jedi built lightsabers as part of their training during the Great Galactic War. Check Hyllach's body, you'll find an ancient lightsaber. We were going to bring it back to the Emperor, but I think it would be better if you guys have it."

Tri'ina skipped over to Hyllach's body and retrieved the lightsaber. "Wow," she said, almost dropping it. "It's really heavy. Master Valos would love this." She offered it to Ferros, who denied it with a wave of her hand.

"You hold onto it, sweetie," Ferros said with a smile. "Keep it safe until we get back."

Tri'ina smiled happily and started fiddling with it as the group made their way back to the temple with their new acquisition, flanked by the hulking wookiees.


	10. Chapter 10

"This isn't like any lightsaber I've ever seen before," Ashlyn commented, marvelling at the ancient lightsaber's internal components.

"It's really heavy, isn't it master?" Tri'ina said.

"It certainly is," Ashlyn agreed. "It actually has two focusing crystals."

"That wouldn't account for all the extra weight though," Byz noted.

"No, you're right. It also has a thicker lens and a more powerful emitter matrix," she added, examining the components carefully. "The whole thing seems designed around being very free-flowing. It's a lot less resistant than ours. It seems to be a lot more powerful because of it."

"And what did you find out about the Sith's lightsabers?" Byz asked.

Ashlyn smiled at him, then took both the ancient lightsaber and Dialgar's saber in her hands and walked over to a durasteel block that was sitting on the floor nearby. She quickly put the ancient saber back together and sealed it with the pommel cap.

"Check this out," she said, igniting both sabers. The ancient saber's blade was a hue of deep, aquatic blue, and shone fiercely next to Dialgar's crimson-red blade.

She shoved both sabers into the durasteel block as Byz and Ferros watched on. Within seconds, the ancient saber had made a glowing orange-white hole, the blue blade poking through the other side. By contrast, Dialgar's saber had begun to superheat the durasteel, but it still only glowed red and hadn't quite started to deform the block yet.

"Impressive," Ferros said. "Is there any way to copy those components?"

"Way ahead of you, Ferry-girl," Ashlyn grinned, scooping up a pile of electronics that had been sitting on the table she'd been dismantling the saber on. "You'll need another crystal though. These components will be useless without it. You should be able to keep the same power cell though."

"There's something else I noticed," Ferros said. "About the Sith's lightsabers."

"They're identical," Ashlyn smiled. "I noticed it when you brought back the last lot yesterday."

"I don't think they're being trained in how to build them."

"They aren't," Ashlyn confirmed. "I spoke to 'Lord' Dialgar, and she says they get given the sabers as part of their initiation."

"What do you think of our new friend?" Byz asked her.

"Well, she seems sincere enough. Runice wants to speak to her alone first though. I think she's speaking to her right now, actually. If anyone can tell an honest Sith, it'll be Runice."

"I hope she isn't lying," Tri'ina added. "I hope she can change like she said."

"Me too, sweetie," Ashlyn agreed, "it gives me hope that we might be able to get through this with a little less killing. Anyway, we managed to secure a couple more of those geological compressors, so you can make more than one crystal at a time now."

"Thanks Ash," Ferros smiled.

The three Jedi left Ashlyn alone with the lightsabers then and made their way back to their quarters. The temple's living quarters had been arranged in such a way that they were grouped into three separate rooms, with a sitting area connecting them. Tri'ina and Curstenn now shared a room, with the other two taken by Byz and Ferros. Curstenn appeared from her room then, holding her yellow-bladed saber.

"Did you speak to Master Ashlyn?" she asked. "Can we go make our crystals?"

"Yes, you can go if you want," Ferros chuckled. "We don't have anything special planned for you two today anyway. Just remember, it'll take half the day to make them. You better have something to eat first."

"Okay!" Curstenn said excitedly. "Come on, Treen. Let's go!"

The little twi'lek girl smiled widely and followed her down the hall.

"I forgot how exciting it is to build a lightsaber," Ferros laughed. "I wonder what colour they'll end up being."

"As long as they aren't red, I'm not really fussed," Byz said flatly.

"You're no fun at all, are you?" Ferros replied. "What's wrong with you today anyway?"

"Oh it's that Sith girl," he answered.

"No it isn't. Besides, Kayla and Runice are taking care of that."

Byz sighed. "There's no point in hiding anything from you, is there?"

"Nope," Ferros smiled as she sat down on one of the couches they'd scavenged from the old temple on Coruscant. She patted the spot next to her and Byz obediently sat down. "We need to talk, Byz."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"Afraid?"

Ferros took his hand and clasped it tightly and reassuringly, but Byz pulled it back and turned to face her. Ferros felt a sudden pang of hurt, and hoped it wasn't precognitive.

"I don't know if I'm ready," he said. "For us, I mean."

"What are you talking about?" Ferros replied, pretending to be angry and not succeeding. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took his hand again. "Wasn't it you who said we might die at any moment and that we should die as a couple?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" Byz looked down at his feet, not able to look Ferros in the eyes.

"Yes, you _did_ say that. And _I_ was the one who said I wasn't ready. What's _really_ wrong, Byz?"

"It's nothing, Ferry-"

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be acting all weird," she countered, squeezing his hand a little tighter. "Please talk to me."

Byz pulled his hand back again and turned away from her, then stood up and began walking away.

"No! Come back, Byz. Please?"

Ferros had started sobbing now. She stuck her legs out either side of him and pulled him back towards her, forcing him back onto the couch next to her. He started to grumble angrily and stood back up again.

"This is _exactly_ why I can't talk to you about it," he snapped. "You don't take no for an answer. You're so caught up with being stronger and smarter than me, trying to embarrass me at every opportunity. Even _Cursty_ thinks I'm overreacting when it comes to you."

"That's because you _are_ overreacting," she insisted, tears flowing down her flushed cheeks.

"So why do it if you know how I'm gonna react?" he spat. "You're just making me look more pathetic."

"Is _that_ what you're worried about?"

Ferros realised she'd struck a nerve when Byz's demeanour changed back to its normal, reserved self.

"Maybe," he answered reluctantly.

"So you think people are judging you now?"

"Of course they are," he said softly. "How can I possibly compete with _you_? You've taken down two full-on Darths now. The best I can do is get charcoaled by one."

"It sounds to me like you're the one doing all the judging, Byz."

Ferros wiped her eyes dry, her subtle eyeliner and mascara smearing across her face.

"You've got a little…" Byz said, pointing to her smudged makeup.

Ferros slapped his hand away. "I don't care how I look," she snapped. "I'm worried about you. Don't compete against me. I don't want a rival, I want a partner. I couldn't care less how weak or strong you are, and neither could anyone else but _you_."

"Why do you make fun of me all the time then?"

Ferros growled in frustration and rolled her eyes. "Because it's _funny_, and it's the only way I can get your attention these days. If I don't embarrass you or flirt outrageously with you, you barely even notice me. Even _Kayla_ is trying to help me out, you've gotten so bad."

"You mean, the ten-cred bet-"

"She made it up, Byz. There's no bet."

Byz stopped talking and just thought about it all for a few moments. Maybe he _had_ gotten it all wrong, after all. Now that he was thinking clearly again, he realised that she really had done almost everything she could to reinforce her attraction to him. Even little Cursty had seen it, where he'd completely missed the mark. And she was an eleven year old.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry," she replied. "Just stop being a jerk. Besides, you make fun of me just as much as I make fun of you."

She took his hand again, for the third time, and gave it a little kiss, then clasped it tightly and hugged it to herself. Byz shuffled closer to her, and she swivelled around so her legs were resting across his lap. They hugged for a few minutes, Ferros gently sobbing into his shoulder until her tears ran dry.

"I just want us to be happy, that's all," she said softly. "I can't be happy without you."

The pang of pain Ferros had felt earlier had completely subsided now, and was replaced by a warm spot, glowing brighter and brighter as Byz held her. Then she sensed a sudden feeling of urgency, and Kayla burst into the room moments later.

"Ferry, Byz, we need you. Now."

"What is it?" Byz asked. Ferros was still snuggled into his shoulder.

"It's Corellia. They're in trouble. I'll explain everything, but you've got to come with me _now_. We need your help."

* * *

"The Sith have gone after our home planet," Devin announced, gesturing towards himself and Kayla. "Versca demanded that the entire Corellia system submit to martial law so they can search for Jedi."

"But isn't Hermald still there?" Ferros asked, referring to Hermald Reischek, one of the first Jedi to join the Order after the Battle of Pyria. He'd offered to be stationed long-term on Corellia to keep watch on the system and ensure that another Darth Caeer didn't rise up.

"Yes, he is. He's the one who warned us, actually," Devin confirmed. "They're not aware of him personally, but they know several Jedi Knights are Corellian."

"I'm guessing the Corellians didn't take too kindly to Versca's threats," Jens said dryly.

"No, Corellians _never_ take kindly to threats," Kayla confirmed. "Senator Reebus flatly refused to allow the Republic soldiers in, so he's been arrested and is being held on Coruscant."

"They're after Governor Terluch now," Devin added. "They want him alive, presumably to make an example of him. Hermald is keeping him safe for the moment, but he doesn't know how much longer the situation will stay manageable."

"So what's the situation like at the moment?" Lenny asked.

Admiral Minvessen stepped forward then, activating a holoprojector which showed the city of Coronet in three-dimensional detail.

"Coronet is under siege," he began. "Republic troops have forced their way into the city. CorSec have been putting up a fight, but they don't have the numbers to compete. The Republic have sent in a whole army after the Governor."

"So what's the plan?" Byz asked. "Do we sneak in and smuggle Terluch off-world?"

Minvessen laughed. "You don't know Corellians too well, do you Byz?"

Byz stared blankly at the Admiral, blinking a few times. Minvessen sighed with amusement.

"We'll never allow the Republic to take Coronet by force," he continued. "We'd sooner die fighting them than run away from our own system."

"You're Corellian?" Byz asked.

Minvessen nodded. "A great deal of us are, both within the Jedi Order and the military. This is personal for us."

"Besides," Kayla added. "Even if we managed to get Governor Terluch off of Corellia, there'd still be the issue of Republic troops holding the entire planet hostage while they look for Jedi."

"Exactly," Minvessen nodded. "We need to go in there and smash them out."

"How many troops do we have?" Ashlyn asked.

Minvessen thought to himself for a few moments before responding. "I'd say about fifty thousand total."

"We won't even need a twentieth of that."

Ferros had been analysing the map the whole time, and finally spoke up.

"Who's in charge of the Republic military now?" she asked.

"Admiral Gell'ynd, I would think. He's a Bothan," Minvessen answered. "Not a nice one, either."

"If I know Bothans, he'll try and use surprise tactics, correct?"

Minvessen nodded without saying anything.

"And they have no idea where to look for any Jedi _or_ Terluch, right?"

He nodded again, this time with a raised eyebrow as he caught on to Ferros' pattern of thought.

"So we get civilians indoors, spread our forces thin throughout the city, coordinate with CorSec and converge on the enemy in squads wherever we find them. No large groups."

"Actually…" Minvessen said to no one in particular, then turned to Kayla and Devin with both eyebrows now raised. "That's a pretty good plan."

The other Jedi Council members nodded their approval as well.

"He's a Bothan, so he probably thinks it'll be really clever to send a company of troops to the obvious places like the CorSec Academy or Capitol Tower, while sending smaller groups to less obvious places at the same time," Ferros said.

"If we use a sweep pattern with smaller groups headed by a Jedi, we'll be able to flush them out completely," Lenny agreed. "Whereabouts is Hermald?"

"He's staying on the train," Kayla said. "He figured it'd be smarter to keep moving around than to stay in any one place and risk running into Republic troops in the streets."

"As long as he stays safe," Lenny said. "We probably should contact the Republic too, out of courtesy. We don't want to look like the bad guys, killing Republic troops and all."

"I'll handle that," Finnschall offered. "I'm not much of a warrior anyway. You guys get busy planning the finer details."

"Okay then," Kayla nodded to the older Togruta Jedi. "Liina, go with her. Ferry and Byz, I want you rounding up the other Knights and the more experienced Padawans. We need to know who is willing to come with us. If there are any younger Padawans, it's up to their Masters. That goes for you two as well. Cursty and Tri'ina can look after themselves, but they're still just kids. If they're keen to help and you think you can keep them safe, then it's up to you."

"You got it," Byz affirmed as he and Ferros headed out the door.

"The rest of you, come with me. It's time to flesh out Ferry's attack plan."

* * *

With nearly all personnel ready and waiting aboard the orbiting Second Fleet, Kayla should have felt anxious to get going, but instead she felt apprehensive. Ferros and Byz had rounded up fifteen Jedi Knights and around ten Padawans, and although the Padawans would be travelling with their Masters, this still brought the total number of Jedi-led squads up to twenty-three. Almost two-thirds of the Order was going to Corellia to do battle with the Republic.

_If only we'd had more time,_ she thought. _If anyone comes to Tython while we're gone, they'll be pretty much defenceless._

She snapped out of it then, berating herself for allowing such thoughts. The truth was, as long as Dialgar stayed true to her word, there wasn't really any chance of Tython being exposed. The planet itself was pretty much unheard of, and very few people outside the Order even knew of its existence, much less its historical importance to the Jedi. _Besides,_ she told herself,_ we'll be back in no time. This mission will be easy. Boring, but easy._

Devin came strolling up to her then with his usual swagger, looking rather displeased. She knew just by looking at him that his displeasure was of a completely different nature to her own, though. He sat down next to her on the top of the temple's front steps, the light of Tythos shining down on them gloriously as they looked out into the picturesque scenery of Tython.

"Gell'ynd refused to recall the troops," he said grimly. "I guess we're going home after all."

"You seem surprised," Kayla commented dryly.

"It just seems a bit unfair on Corellia. It hasn't been such a long time since that skirmish we both fled from, and already they're on the back foot because of the very Republic they helped to create."

"It's not the Republic's fault," Kayla shook her head.

"I know," he sighed. "Maybe that's just the Corellian in me talking."

"Don't worry, the Republic aren't capturing anyone. We've got enough Jedi to recapture the entire system."

"There's something else though, isn't there?"

Kayla looked up at him, trying to get a sense of his thoughts, but Devin was being as opaque as ever. She looked away again and stared blankly into the distant forest.

"Something's wrong with this attack, but I can't get a sense of what it is exactly. I can't even point myself in the right direction. Usually I have no problem with this sort of thing."

"I know what you mean," Devin nodded in agreement. "I've been sensing it since I heard about it. It makes no sense to forcibly enter Coronet like this. What has the Republic got to gain by getting on Corellia's bad side?"

"Exactly! Logic dictates that we should stay as far away from Corellia as possible, since it's Jedi they're looking for. We'd be walking right into a trap. They know we can't resist helping Corellia though, but why sacrifice so many Republic troops? It's not like they have much of a chance fighting against Jedi, much less capturing them."

"Do you think they'll send Sith in?"

"At first I wasn't sure. I didn't think Versca would be brazen enough to send any; she only just got elected. It would be foolish to show her true colours so soon. But now that I think about it, the whole thing seems pretty reckless, almost arrogant. Why else send the army in unless they're invading?"

"I sense something else though," Devin added. "Something…closer to us."

"I wonder if it's got anything to do with Ferry," Kayla pondered. "Artaith tried to capture her on Korriban, maybe this is another attempt to try and grab her?"

"It could be, but I doubt they'd be foolish enough to try it. She's proven herself to be in a league way above most of the Sith we've encountered so far. How much would Artaith have to improve to be able to capture her on a Force-neutral planet like Corellia?"

"Especially with Cursty with her," Kayla agreed. "Sending enough Sith out there to capture her would definitely give them away. Corellia wouldn't be the only system to leave the Republic if news got out that they were sending Sith Lords after the Jedi."

"Maybe they're going after Gavin then?"

"Possibly, but Runice will be with him. She's pretty bloody tough, and Gavin's got a lot more of his sister's strength in him than most people realise. He won't be easy to take. It's possible though."

Devin leaned back onto his hands and let out a deep breath. "I don't understand why we're having so much trouble sensing this. I'm not convinced the Sith are powerful enough to cast shadows this long."

"And yet, they are," Kayla frowned. "What _I_ really want to know is how powerful this Emperor is. I get the impression that the Sith Lords he's trained aren't really a good representation of his own power."

"Same here."

Devin laid all the way back then, closing his eyes to shield them from the sun.

"Do you think we're leaving enough Jedi behind to protect this place?"

"I think so," Kayla nodded to him. "I was thinking about this just before you got here, actually. Nobody knows about this place except the Jedi Coalition and Dialgar, and we shouldn't be gone long enough for it to matter in any case."

Devin turned his head to face her then, allowing himself a lopsided smile.

"I suppose you're right. It's not exactly going to be the Battle of Pyria, is it?"

He kept looking up at her for a few moments, long enough to make her self-conscious. She frowned down at him then and edged slightly away.

"It's okay," he laughed. "I was just watching how your hair changes colour in the sunlight. You don't have snot on your face or anything."

"Oh," she chuckled. "Does it look okay?"

"Beautiful," he smiled warmly at her. "I've always really liked your red hair. Don't ever dye it."

"But it _is_ dyed," she replied flatly. "I have brown hair naturally."

"Really?" He sat up instantly, totally astonished.

"No," she laughed. "I had you for a moment though."

Devin shook his head and smiled, then got to his feet and began to make his way back inside.

"Come on then, we really should get going," he told her, just as her portable holocom started buzzing. She took it out of a pouch on her utility belt and activated it, producing a hologram of Colonel Brellin Kryss.

"Kryss!" she said with some surprise. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

"_I wasn't expecting to comm you,"_ he grinned back at her. _"I'm just letting you know I'm on my way to Corellia as we speak."_

Kayla and Devin exchanged a confused look. He should still be investigating the gauntlet; no one had requested for him to join back up with Special Forces.

"Is something wrong, Brellin?" Devin asked him.

"_Funny you should ask,"_ he replied with more solemnity than before. _"Word of the Jedi Hunt in Coronet reached Mandalore, and the Mandalorians are split right down the middle. _Mand'alor_ wants to support the Jedi Coalition and secede from the Republic, but Kinseth wants to fight for the Republic. It's hopeless, they'll be fighting among themselves for weeks, or until either Gregor or _Mand'alor_ is killed."_

"That's unfortunate," Devin understated.

"_No kidding," _Brellin agreed. _"Stuff hanging around there. I won't bother arguing the case when my niece and nephew are being hunted by the Sith. I would have brought more warriors with me, but Gregor is hiding behind tradition. He says no Mandalorian can leave to fight if we can't all agree on a side."_

"So you think Kinseth is behind this mystery gauntlet then too, do you?" Devin asked him.

"_Without doubt, Dev. I can't prove anything, of course…call it a sixth sense. I'm sure you understand what I mean," _Brellin chuckled.

"We'll talk more about it when this business on Corellia is all done and dusted," Kayla said. "We'll be leaving very shortly, we should arrive not long after you do. Meet up with us on the _Corell Star_."

"_No worries, Masters. I've got a nice new blaster that _Mand'alor_ gave me, and I can't wait to test it out on some traitor scum. I'll see you there. I'll even wear my honorary bloodstripes."_

With that, Kryss signed off, and the hologram fizzled into nothingness. Devin gave Kayla a look that she recognised all too well.

"You have a bad feeling about this."

Devin flashed a lopsided smile, then followed her inside the temple to the lateral turbolift leading to the adjacent military base.


	11. Chapter 11

The drop ships descended on Coronet City by the dozens, all landing pretty much simultaneously. Republic troops left them alone for the most part, as the ships were deliberately aimed at the less built-up areas of the city, but one or two were attacked. Each drop ship had anywhere up to a dozen people on it, and the squads were anywhere up to twenty-five strong, each led by at least one Jedi. The few squads of Republic troops that attacked drop ships didn't last long, and the Jedi Coalition forces had very few casualties.

Coronet itself looked pretty good, if a little quiet. Kayla's order for everyone to head indoors had been heeded by almost everyone, with only the occasional person ignorant of the order or stupid enough to venture outside in the middle of a pitched battle. With no aerial bombardment happening and as yet no Republic reinforcements, the streets felt more like a plague had wiped the population out rather than a battle taking place. To Ferros, it felt a little spooky, but at the same time it was much easier to concentrate on the Force without many people around. To Curstenn, it felt scary and exciting, with a particular emphasis on the latter.

Kayla had warned her that although Curstenn was a Jedi Padawan – and a particularly talented one at that – she was still only an eleven year old girl, and bringing her into a full on battle was ultimately Ferros' choice, and the ramifications would be entirely on her no matter what happened. She was confident enough in the younger girl's abilities that she had no fears for her safety, at least while Ferros herself was around. But she also knew that the real test came not with Curstenn's skill with a blade or Force manipulations, but with facing the horrors that battle brought. Ferros was still only sixteen years old herself – far too young to join any military, and yet here she was leading a squad of Coalition troops into what was essentially guerrilla warfare, with an eleven year old Padawan by her side.

Ferros and Curstenn – like the other more powerful members of the Jedi Order – had been set on a sweep pattern that crossed at least one place in Coronet that was deemed a highly likely place for the Republic troops to search. There was almost certainly a Sith presence on Corellia, and although there was no way of telling for certain how many or how strong they were, Kayla and the others who had planned out the attack had to try and do their best to ensure that the stronger Jedi would be the ones facing them. Hence, Runice and Gavin's sweep sent them right past the spaceport, Kayla's squad would be heading past the Capitol Tower, while the newly recruited Triithbukk would be heading past the zoo – a particularly unlikely place for any serious trouble.

After several kilometres of trekking through Coronet's maze-like streets without any entanglements with enemies – the only encounters they had were with locals who felt compelled to give them their support – they finally reached their primary destination.

The Coronet Medcentre stood as it always had. It was millennia old now, and had served longer than almost any other medical facility in existence. The front façade may have changed slightly over time, but even it still resembled the original design in a way that not many places still did.

"How come Master Kayla and Master Devin never talk about Corellia?" Curstenn asked. "They're both from here, aren't they?"

"Yes, but they left when they were very young. Both of them have lived on Coruscant for years now," Ferros replied.

"Is that why Master Kayla doesn't have a Corellian accent anymore?"

Ferros smiled. "Probably, but Devin still has it, so I guess I'm not too sure. Kayla's family is originally from Talus anyway, so maybe that's why."

"They must be pretty important to be named after a whole planet."

"I never realised that," Ferros admitted. She'd known Kayla for more than five years now, and not once did she ever make the connection between the Jedi Master's surname and the Corellia system's Double-World. "Remind me to ask her about it when we get back."

Curstenn reached for her lightsabers suddenly, and Ferros felt the disturbance an instant later.

"Watch the front, Cursty," Ferros ordered. "I'm going to check around the back. You two, with me," she said, pointing out the two closest troopers.

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison, then followed her around to the rear of the Medcentre with their blaster rifles ready.

Ferros kept herself wide-open to the Force as she paced slowly around the side of the building, staying as silent as possible. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what she swore was blue flesh in a black uniform, and cautiously went after it. Aware that it was most likely a trap, she kept her lightsabers ready and tried to get a sense of what was going on around the corner before stepping out. She felt apprehension and acceptance coming from about a dozen focused minds.

"Can you sense anything, General?"

Ferros nodded at the soldier – a sergeant – and glanced down at his rifle to indicate she wanted him to be ready to fire.

"Maybe a dozen soldiers. Probably a diversion," she answered. "Something's wrong…we should go back. I'll take rear security, you guys lead."

The two soldiers nodded and made their way back to the front of the Medcentre as quietly as possible to avoid tipping off the enemies around the corner. All of a sudden a dark presence filled the Force and Ferros heard two lightsabers _snap-hiss_ to life. Her eyes went wide and bulged as she recognised the new presence.

"Artaith!" she whispered in shock, then leapt onto the second floor and bolted to the front of the Medcentre as fast as her legs would carry her.

When she reached them, Curstenn was already engaged in combat with Darth Artaith, her new violet-bladed saber and her old yellow one weaving a complex staccato pattern through the afternoon air. Artaith Force pushed the young Jedi backwards, catching her off-guard and sending her spiralling away through the air. She was quick though, and landed gracefully on her feet just as Artaith charged forwards to meet her again. She brought her two sabers up in a cross-block as Artaith slammed his crimson blade down with terrifying force. He pressed downwards, a twisted, sick laugh emanating from him as Curstenn tried desperately to hold him off.

She then placed both her feet against Artaith's shins and pushed herself away along the ground just as she deactivated both her sabers. Artaith overbalanced, his blade burning a glowing scorch mark into the road as he tumbled forwards. Curstenn looked up briefly and caught Ferros' eyes just as she leapt down from the small ledge she'd been walking along. Curstenn leapt backwards, flipping through the air just as Ferros slammed down on the road with the Force, right next to Artaith. He was quick enough to have rolled to one side, missing the direct impact, but he was still hit with the entire shockwave. Chunks of debris from the four metre-wide crater flew out on all sides, peppering Artaith as he screamed in agony. Unable to stand up immediately, Artaith's bones vibrated violently against one another – he felt like he was sitting in an ultrasonic bath in slow-motion.

Ferros lifted his body with the Force and threw him against the Medcentre, hard. Artaith retaliated by hurling his lightsaber at her, the crimson blade spinning quickly through the air straight for her neck. She hefted both her own sabers above her head and brought them down on the airborne blade, and it clinked against the road, still lit.

"Cursty, help the squad with those Chiss troops. Artaith is mine."

Curstenn nodded obediently, then directed the Coalition troops to fan out and stay behind her as she deflected all the blaster bolts back at their firers.

"Liar," Ferros grinned. "Sith slime."

"Sticks and stones, Miss Hekla," Artaith quipped. "Talk all you want, but you can't possibly beat me."

"Is that why you told all your little friends that I was a big, ugly monster?" she mocked. "Beaten by a little girl, huh." She wagged her finger at him. "Can't have the Emperor hearing about that, can we? Guess I'll have to kill you."

Artaith was instantly furious. His eyes turned yellow and he stomped the ground, cracking the road beneath his boot.

"You are _nothing_," he fumed through clenched teeth. "I am _Darth Artaith!_ Member of the _Dark Council!_"

"Spare me the rhetoric," Ferros dismissed him with a wave of her hand and a hyperbolic yawn. "You've got one chance, Artaith. The Corellians want you off their planet. Leave now and live to be a loser another day, or fight me and die right here, right now. Your choice."

"_No one_ gives me the ultimatum," he snarled, saliva literally dripping from his chin he was so furious. "You made a fool of me once. I don't care what the Emperor sees in you, you won't live long enough to be of any use to him."

Ferros smirked lopsidedly, then Force pulled him towards her with ferocious velocity. He managed to kick off the ground and tumble past her through the air, narrowly missing being skewered by her purple lightsaber. He landed gracelessly, rolling end over end before coming to a stop five metres away from Ferros. As he got up he reactivated his lightsaber, and Ferros used the Force to tip the blade down at ninety degrees, catching him completely by surprise. The crimson-bladed lightsaber cut his wrist in half, not quite penetrating all the way. Artaith clutched at the partially severed hand with wild eyes, but instead of going into shock, he got even angrier.

Growling with pure hatred, he gestured with the mostly-severed hand, Force pushing Ferros onto her back. The gesture came at a price though; the hand's remaining blood vessels, nerves and ligaments tore free and the hand flopped uselessly to the ground with blood splattering and pooling around it.

Before Ferros could gloat she sensed one of the Chiss troopers about to fire at her and leapt out of the way, only to realise the troops who tried to ambush her around the back of the Medcentre had now come through the front doors and were firing at her with repeating blasters from improvised cover. Several shots struck her, and she cried out in surprise, before remembering that she was dressed in the Special Forces uniform. The energy was dissipated instantly, and with a sigh of relief she began to bat the blaster bolts back at the Chiss.

"Cursty! Little help?"

Curstenn used a Force-enhanced sprint to dart quickly over to Ferros, leaving the few remaining Chiss troops from the original platoon to the Coalition soldiers. She flourished her violet and yellow blades as she watched Artaith stomp his way towards them.

"I'll take care of him from here, Ferry. He's no challenge anymore."

Before Ferros could object, Curstenn was already walking towards him, flourishing her sabers to goad him on. Ferros decided the dozen soldiers were probably the more dangerous enemy at this stage of the fight anyway; without his hand, and blinded by his hatred, Artaith was a foregone conclusion now.

"My Master says you hate women," Curstenn said to him. "You must be pretty embarrassed."

"Your master is a scabrous boil on the festering skin of the unworthy," he spat. "And you are the itch that goes with it."

"No, I'm Cursty," she smiled sweetly.

Artaith howled in rage and bolted forwards, but without the aid of Korriban's dark side alignment his movements were relatively easy to detect, even for a Padawan like Cursty. She quickly darted out of the way as Artaith swung haphazardly at her with his one remaining hand. Consumed by his hatred, he was no longer the fierce, calculated and powerful warrior he once was. Back on Korriban, Runice had used the same tactic on him very successfully, allowing Ferry to defeat him handily despite wearing a collection of injuries. This time, it would allow Cursty Lellynd– an eleven year old Jedi Padawan – the chance to wipe a Dark Councillor from the face of the galaxy once and for all.

Artaith pirouetted to face her, then gestured with his amputated left stump, attempting to lift her off the ground in a Force choke. Cursty sputtered and wheezed for dramatic effect before smiling as cutely as she could at him, despite her trachea being crushed. Ferros had taught her that most Sith wouldn't think past the actual choking though, and were more often than not quite vulnerable to attack while they did it.

"Is this _funny?_" Artaith raged, squeezing as tight as he could. "Your master must hate you so, allowing you to die by my hand."

Cursty's smile dropped as she became serious. Holding her two sabers with her little thumbs, she pointed her arms towards Artaith, her four fingers extended and crackling with electricity. Artaith's expression soured as realisation dawned on him. Force lightning exploded from Cursty's fingertips and struck him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Cursty dropped to the ground and took a few giant gulps of air, then quickly raced after Artaith.

She leapt the last few metres and landed astride his torso. Artaith brought his lightsaber up to slice weakly at her legs, but Cursty's yellow blade severed it neatly in two, the emitter-end of the saber dropping to the ground in a steaming pile of useless components. She then held both sabers in a cross above the Sith Lord's neck, the tips of the blades melting the road beneath them.

"Kill me, little girl," Artaith taunted her with a grin. "Set yourself on the path to the dark side."

"_Becoming_ you would make me bad," she countered, remembering Ferry's teaching. "Killing you won't."

Cursty swiped her twin blades through his neck, then calmly walked back over to Ferros and the troops. By her hasty count, they had suffered only one casualty: a young corporal called Harrow, killed when the ambush squad surprised Ferry.

"I'm sorry you had to do that," Ferry said. "But you didn't exactly leave me much choice."

"It's fine," Cursty replied nonchalantly. "I'm totally fine, really."

"You sure?" the captain of the squad asked. "No kid should have to kill a man. If it was up to me, you wouldn't even be here."

"He's a Sith Lord; a Dark Councillor – and he can't hurt anyone anymore. I'm totally fine with it, Captain."

The captain eyed her suspiciously, and Cursty rolled her eyes at him.

"You'd rather I let him live? Give him a ride back to Dromund Kaas, maybe?" she asked sarcastically, a little bitterness creeping into her voice. "I might be a little girl, but I'm still a Jedi. It's my _job_ to stop people like him from hurting other people. He was a bad person. A _really_ bad person. And I wouldn't kill anyone who wasn't a really bad person."

The captain smiled, then crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just checking, kiddo," he assured her. "Didn't mean to offend you or anything. Not everyone's used to seeing the Jedi in action first-hand yet. Takes some of us by surprise when we see maturity like that at such a young age. When I was your age, I still wanted to be a swoop racer."

Cursty tried and failed to hold back a chuckle, and then the eleven year old in her came back to the surface as she began giggling at the captain's remark.

"Come on then, let's keep going. We have a sweep to complete," the captain said, gesturing for them all to follow.

Ferry didn't follow though. She stopped dead in her tracks and frowned with concentration – or was it worry? Cursty stopped moments later, apparently for the same reason. The troops looked back at them, scratching their heads in confusion.

"General?" the captain asked.

"Something's wrong," Ferry answered. "I can't feel Byz in the Force anymore."

"He didn't…you know…did he?"

Ferros shook her head vehemently. "No way, that would feel different. I definitely can't feel him anymore though. That's not good. Cursty?"

The younger girl's sandy-blonde plaited ponytail waved about as she shook her head. "I didn't feel him die either, Ferry. I think he's alive, still. But why can't we sense him?"

"I don't know, sweetie," she answered. "But whatever it is, it's very bad."

She brought her wrist-com to her mouth and activated it hastily.

"Flyboy," she said. "Big Mando."

"_Go ahead, Big Mando,"_ Minvessen replied.

"Something's happened to Upper City, we can't feel him in the Force anymore. We didn't sense him die though, we think he's still alive, but in trouble. Just to be safe, you might want to have Deep Cover and Farmer move the package ASAP."

"_Consider it done, Big Mando,"_ he answered. _"I'll tell Corellia Major to move in and join you at Upper City's location. Coordinates on their way."_

"No worries, moving in as we speak."

"_Careful out there, Big Mando. Just confirmed zero contact with Upper City's squad since touchdown. Repeat, zero contact. We want your pretty face back here in one piece, alright? Flyboy out."_

Cursty gave her a grim look as she took Ferry's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"He'll be fine," she told the older girl. "But we better get moving."

The squad raced off to the coordinates sent by Admiral Minvessen, with Ferry taking point and Cursty on rear security.

* * *

"_Farmer, this is Flyboy, copy?"_

Jens brought his wrist-com up to his lips and spoke in his usual thick, rural Nabooian accent. "Copy, Flyboy. How can I help you?"

"_Upper City has been compromised, Farmer. Possibly alive, but no longer detectable. Big Mando suggests the package be relocated immediately in case of the worst."_

"Roger that, Flyboy. Have you contacted Corellia Major? He's the next closest."

"_Corellia Major has been notified, he's on his way now. I've got an evac shuttle on its way to you right now, coordinates being sent. Acknowledge receipt."_

Jens checked with the squad's troop captain, who gave him a thumbs up when the coordinates Minvessen sent arrived.

"Coordinates received, Flyboy. We're on our way. Farmer out."

Governor Terluch – a tall, lordly-looking man with strong features and impeccably kempt white facial hair – who had been standing amongst the soldiers of Jens' squad, suddenly poked his nose out to ask what was going on.

"Jedi Hekla says that she felt Jedi Akkon's presence in the Force disappear. She can't tell if he's dead or alive. We have to move you to a safer place, Governor."

Terluch frowned and put his hands on his hips, stepping slowly towards Jens, his eyes never leaving his face.

"I will not run away from my own planet, Master Blekkard," he insisted. "You can keep me safe right here in Coronet."

"With all due respect, Governor Terluch," Jens said impatiently, "if Byz has been compromised as Admiral Minvessen says he has, there's a chance – however small – that your position could be discovered. It's only a temporary measure, and you won't be moved far."

"My fate will be the same as my people's."

Jens sighed audibly. "Your fate is forfeit then. If you are discovered, all the lives laid down by the Jedi Coalition – not to mention your own CorSec men – will be forfeit too. The Republic will forcibly claim Corellia and the Sith will have won. Is that what you want?"

Terluch grunted in irritation. He looked to the squad's captain, who replied by nodding his agreement with Jens.

"You'll only be moved to the _Corell Star_, in orbit around Corellia, sir," the captain explained. "Until the situation down here settles. After that you can go where you want."

Terluch threw up his hands in dismissal. "Fine then, let's go. I want to be kept in the loop the entire time though. That's non-negotiable."

Jens smiled wryly. "I'm sure Admiral Deugan can accommodate you, Governor. Don't worry, this is all simply a security measure. Corellia needs its leader alive, and I plan on keeping you that way for as long as possible."

Jens' wrist-com began beeping again suddenly. He answered it with some irritation.

"Farmer."

"_Farmer, it's Deep Cover. You've got incoming."_

"How many?"

"_Just a squad, but led by a Sith. I'm tailing them, I can flank them if you like. Just get the Governor out of there first."_

"Alright, Deep Cover. Keep them busy while I get him out. Evac point is only a few blocks from here."

"_You got it. Deep Cover out."_

Terluch's face began to betray a smidge of fear. "What was that all about?"

Jens remained completely calm, with only a hint of confidence. "Looks like we'll have company pretty soon. We need to get you out of here right now. Hermald is on his way, he'll keep them busy along with the boys, while I get you to the evac point."

Jens' squad began to move out, taking up cover positions around the area while Terluch and Jens himself started moving in the opposite direction towards the approaching shuttle. They made it two blocks before the wrist-com began beeping again.

"_Farmer, Deep Cover. The Sith escaped, you're about to be ambushed."_

Jens sensed it even before Hermald had finished speaking.

"Get behind me," he ordered, and Terluch quickly obeyed, darting for cover behind a nearby tree.

Terluch suddenly began cursing and shouting, and Jens spun on his heels to find a black-robed figure holding a lightsaber hilt to the Governor's neck. The Sith grinned salaciously, running his thumb over the saber's activation stud.

"I win," he said under his breath.

Jens snorted, another wry smile forming. "Win what, exactly?"

The Sith was about to say something clever when he realised that Terluch was no longer in his grasp, and had retreated to a safer location around twenty metres away behind another tree. He looked at Jens in disbelief.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I could show you, if you were a Jedi," Jens smirked. "But you're not, are you? You're a Sith, so the lesson is over."

"You think your little tricks are enough to save him?" the Sith growled. "I am Darth Drahaus. I do not suffer the will of the weak."

Jens rolled his eyes and gestured with his hands for Drahaus to ease up.

"Yes, yes, you're another Darth something-or-other. You have a big title and I'm sure many people respect you."

Drahaus' face contorted in rage, his double-bladed saber rising into his right hand with a loud _slap_. "You _dare_ mock me?"

Jens grinned a little. "Well, if you don't know whether or not I just mocked you, I'm not sure you have any business trying to threaten me."

Drahaus recomposed himself then, a little smile creeping onto the corner of his mouth. He chuckled, then began slowly pacing back and forth.

"I see," he murmured. "A comedian. You're a clever one, aren't you? I'll enjoy carving the smile off your face with my blade."

Jens shrugged, then started walking off, right past Drahaus. The Sith stared at him in shock, unsure exactly how to respond to the gesture.

"Come on, Governor. This guy's in way over his head. Let's get you to the shuttle."

Terluch looked at the Sith, still staring at Jens. He grinned at him, then followed the Jedi Master down the road and around the block. The shuttle had landed by now, and was waiting only a few hundred metres down the road for the Governor to board.

Suddenly the Chiss and Coalition troops reappeared, the Chiss' squad having pushed them back to the shuttle's location.

"Run!" Jens yelled to Terluch. "Keep low and just _run!_ The shuttle gunners will provide covering fire for you."

Terluch did as he was told and ran as fast as he could, his regal dress-robes flapping around in the wind, making him harder to hit. Drahaus leapt at Terluch, trying to cut him off from the shuttle, but Jens caught him in mid-air with the Force and held him there motionless. He ignited his blue saber and held it in Djem-So guard. Drahaus broke free after a few moments and tried to Force push Jens, but he brushed the attack aside as if it were an annoying insect and waited patiently for the next one.

A few stray blaster bolts flashed past Jens' ears, and he deflected a fourth one back at a Chiss soldier before Hermald reappeared and leapt into the middle of the action. His blue saber began batting bolts back at the Chiss, forcing them to fall back into cover positions, giving the Coalition troops time to reorganise.

"I'll take the Chiss, you can have Drahaus," Hermald shouted over the blaster-fire.

Jens nodded and quickly got out of the way of another Force push from Drahaus. The Sith leapt into the air, both ends of his crimson saberstaff ignited. The blade came crashing down at Jens' face, but the Jedi Master deftly parried it, causing Drahaus to overbalance and fall forwards into a roll. He Force pushed as the Sith was getting back on his feet and he tumbled for a few more metres. He managed to deactivate one end of the saberstaff in time, but the other end remained lit and scored a cut on his leg.

Not betraying any sign of pain, he got to his feet and flourished the saberstaff again, charging forwards in a single, flat leap. The two of them traded blows, the exchange becoming quicker and quicker with each strike. Despite having only a single blade, Jens' Djem-So form was formidable, and he managed to hold Drahaus at bay without too much trouble. Drahaus was becoming frustrated though, and kicked high into the air, striking Jens in the side of the face. He flipped gracefully through the air, landing back on his feet again, but Drahaus was back on him in moments, swiping at his neck and then his torso, which Jens neatly dodged.

His wrist-com beeped again, and he gave himself enough room to answer it before Drahaus attacked again.

"_Package is secure, General Blekkard."_

He blocked two more high swipes, then brought the blade down just in time to block a slash at his knees. Spying a large potted plant nearby on the roadside, Jens picked it up with the Force and gestured with his index finger, sending the plant and the pot straight for Drahaus' back. Drahaus didn't see it until it was within inches of him, and received the full force of the impact. His saberstaff deactivated as it fell to the ground, and Jens cut it in two with his own blade as he walked past it, then held the blue blade to Drahaus' head.

"Do you see how unimportant your title is in the greater scheme of things?" Jens asked him. "How your dark side failed you?"

"Fine, you won. Just spare me the lecture, Jedi," Drahaus spat.

"Actually, I'm giving you the chance to receive a few more lectures in the future. Perhaps you'll even learn something about the galaxy."

Jens deactivated his blade and offered the Sith his hand. Drahaus appeared to be contemplating it for a few seconds, then abruptly got up on his own and stretched his fingers to the sky. For a split second, Jens thought he was about to surrender – until he looked up and saw the overpass above them beginning to rain dust down on the evac shuttle. Disappointed, Jens threw his lightsaber at the Sith. The blade fluttered as it spun through the air, cutting cleanly through Drahaus' neck and returning to Jens' hand. Drahaus' grinning face dropped to the ground, his skull making the characteristic dull _thud_ that only came from a human head.

"Bloody idiot," Jens admonished.

Hermald approached him then, his lengthy, side-parted dark brown hair messed up more than it usually was. His green Jedi robes seemed to be in a lot better condition than he was.

"He wouldn't have been of any use to us anyway," he commented, looking down at the decapitated corpse of Darth Drahaus. "Too stubborn. And his teeth are horrible. Why are Sith teeth always so revolting?"

Jens smirked as he looked over at Hermald, then started laughing. "You Corellians are a strange breed, sometimes."

"I just thought he should have taken better care of his teeth," Hermald grinned. "I mean, obviously he has bigger issues at the moment, but nice teeth always reflects well."

Jens shook his head in amusement, then activated his wrist-com again.

"Flyboy, come in."

"_Flyboy here, Farmer. What's the situation?"_

"The package is on its way as we speak. Deep Cover and I are heading over to Upper City's location right now."

"_Copy that, Farmer. Might I suggest you take a ride down the tracks? You walk and you'll be too late to be of any use. Big Mando and Corellia Major are almost there."_

"Will do, Flyboy. I'm sure Deep Cover knows a shortcut or two. Farmer out."

"This way, old fella," Hermald smiled wryly at Jens. "We'll cut through the underground markets."

"_Old_ fella?" Jens scowled. "I'm only bloody forty."

"And I'm only twenty-nine. You're old, old fella."

Hermald grinned widely, and Jens folded his arms across his chest, his eyebrows both raised in an unasked question. The younger Jedi rolled his eyes and waved the squad onwards.

"See? Older Jedis have no sense of humour," he said to the captain.

"Oh I'm staying out of this one, General Reischek," the captain laughed. "You're on your own."

"A wise strategy," Jens smiled.

* * *

The CorSec academy was ruined. Every square inch of the place appeared to have been blasted by something; chunks of wall and ceiling were missing, and what wasn't missing was more often than not blackened. Through the Force, the place seemed even worse. It didn't just feel empty, to Ferry it felt like a graveyard.

"Something is very wrong here," Cursty whispered as the squad stood at the front entrance. "I sense the dark side."

"It's not normal though," Ferry agreed. "It's like it's been _put_ here."

The squad stepped through with Ferry taking point and Cursty at the rear. Just as the younger Jedi stepped through the doors they slammed shut behind her, startling her.

"Spast!" she squealed.

Ferry glared into the darkness of the academy's corridors as she tried to get a better sense of what was happening. Her expression changed to a more friendly one suddenly, and the doors burst open again moments later.

"Hey," Devin said with a casual salute as he stepped through with his squad in tow.

"Hey yourself," Ferry smiled. "Just in time."

Devin sniffed at the air as he deactivated his white saber, grimacing slightly as if he just realised he'd been standing in a dewback enclosure. "Ooh, I really hope that isn't what I think it is," he said finally.

"Let's go find out," Ferry said, leading the way forwards. She stopped in her tracks as she detected a new presence in the Force.

"Tri'ina's in there," Cursty announced, pointing at the double door they were all about to walk through. "She's weak though. Maybe that's why we couldn't sense her earlier."

"Probably," Devin nodded. "I sense someone else too. Someone more powerful than the other Sith we've encountered." He turned to Cursty then. "Stay behind us, but protect the squad. We'll need you to run in and grab Tri'ina when the opportunity arises."

Cursty nodded her understanding and stepped back, then Devin pushed the door button. It slid open noisily, revealing the bodies of twenty-three Coalition soldiers. Cursty tried to examine them as she passed them, and noticed that not one of the soldiers seemed to have any obvious wounds. She looked to the front of the room – an address hall by the looks of it – and saw as Tri'ina's blue-skinned face rose up to regard her soundlessly.

"About time the great Ferros Hekla turned up."

Byz stepped out of the shadows then, his presence in the Force returning as well, and Ferry understood why she hadn't been able to sense him. His presence had never died down or gone anywhere, it had simply changed.

"Oh no, Byz…" she lamented softly. "No…"

Byz laughed scornfully, unclipping his yellow-bladed lightsaber. "You don't even know the half of it."

Suddenly both entire squads of Coalition troops lifted off the ground clutching at their throats. By the time Cursty, Ferry and Devin turned around they were all already dead. A massive spike in the Force came through then as another shape stepped forward from the shadows, veiled almost completely in a long black cloak, his face covered down past his nose by his dark cowl.

"Oh man, what _is_ that?" Devin exclaimed, activating his white saber.

"Allow me to introduce the Emperor," Byz smiled smugly. "He's been desperate to meet you both."

"I was hoping your little friend Kayla would make an appearance too," the Emperor boomed. The three Jedi swore they could hear him speak inside their heads as well. "I could have wiped out the strongest of the Jedi Order in one single, brilliant stroke."

Devin smirked with the corner of his mouth. "Kayla has better things to do than listen to the preaching of a demented maniac."

"Without her, you're nothing, Master Rokanh," he grinned. "Were she not present at the very beginning, would you have made it this far? Would you have triumphed at Borleias if she wasn't there to save the day for you? Would you have even made it off Tython with the holocron if she hadn't saved your life?"

Ferry looked across at Devin, wondering what was going through his mind. As usual, his surface thoughts were near impossible to read, save for the misleading emotions he allowed through. He simply stood with his lightsaber ignited by his side, staring straight at the Emperor, unwavering.

"You are lesser company, Master Rokanh. Compared with her, you barely even warrant my attention," the Emperor continued. "Even little Hekla here eclipses your talent."

Cursty took a step forwards then, her face bright red with anger. Ferry put out a hand to stop her advance, and she looked up to Ferros in disbelief.

"Don't bite, Cursty," she warned her apprentice.

"Ah, the apprentice," the Emperor sniggered. "Do you wonder if you'll live up to your master's reputation? Awfully daunting, isn't it? A small, orphaned child, alone your whole life, and now suddenly you're expected to compete on a level that no Jedi has done for thousands of years. Too much to expect of an eleven year old."

Cursty lowered her lightsaber hilts, her grip on them loosening slowly as her gaze fell to the floor in front of her.

"Because you're not prodigal, are you? You're just a little girl, displaced by conflict, fighting to stay alive. You don't even belong here, do you? How can such a young girl be put in so much peril? You think you've found a family at last, and then they shove you face-first into _this._ How could they expect little old you to save the galaxy, when you can't even save yourself?"

Ferry snorted then, igniting both her lightsabers and flourishing them with a grin of contempt on her face.

"You must be pretty bloody dense if you think Curstenn Lellynd is gonna fall for that," she spat. "This girl is _so much more_ than you could _ever_ comprehend."

She poked Cursty through the Force, using a technique she'd learnt from Ashlyn to boost her confidence before heading into a fight. Ashlyn had called it 'Battle Meditation', and said it could be used on others as well. Ferry assumed it had worked, because Cursty ignited her violet and yellow sabers then and stood guard in Juyo form, her young face fierce with determination.

"I've heard enough of this garbage," Devin said, using the Force to assign Ferry and Cursty their targets.

"Now I can prove once and for all that I'm more powerful than you, Ferros," Byz grinned wickedly.


	12. Chapter 12

Byz charged forward so fast that the first Ferros even knew he'd moved was when he'd punched her in the face. He hit her so hard she had to use the Force to ward off unconsciousness. Before she could recover properly though, he'd picked her up by the throat – with his bare hands – and thrown her across the hall. She landed on top of the corpse of one of the soldiers in her squad. Mentally shaking herself off, she waited for Byz to leap over to her. When he did, she grabbed his body with the Force and hurled it onwards, sending him flying into the back wall. She used the time to recompose herself completely, then lit her sabers.

Byz's yellow blade came flying out from behind one of the many wooden benches, and Ferros deftly batted it aside. Byz recovered it mid-jump and slashed down at her, using all his weight and strength to force Ferry onto her back with her blades crossed to block him. She brought her left leg up quickly and kicked him hard in the groin, then used her right foot to launch him off of her. He landed hard on his back and grunted, more in irritation than pain, before getting back to his feet and dashing quickly over to her again.

Byz started slashing away in his usual Ataru form, leaping around and spinning wildly, constantly forcing Ferry to rebalance herself and adjust. Ferry, however, was the better duellist of the two. Like Ashlyn and Kayla, she'd learnt to integrate Ataru's acrobatic leaps and spins into Juyo's aggressive randomness to accommodate for her very small size. There was another trick that she'd learnt that Byz didn't know about too. A millennia-old Force technique she'd taught herself instinctually that not even Kayla and Ashlyn could do.

As Byz fought harder and harder, Ferry began to use less and less energy, easily parrying his heavy strikes aside with her twin blades. Somehow, he fought differently now to how he usually did. She sensed more confidence in him than normal – perhaps too much confidence. She knew he was fighting as hard as he could, giving it everything he possibly could give. She ducked another head-high slash and parried the return strike, then using the Force she pushed him hard into the rows of wooden benches.

Byz snarled angrily as Ferry continued to defy him. She leapt high into the air after him as he began to get back to his feet again, and smashed down on him with a terrifyingly powerful telekinetic blast. Byz was thrust painfully through the bench to the floor, sinking into the crater that formed where the bench used to be. The shockwave of the blast destroyed the surrounding six rows of benches, sending splinters of polished wood and tiled floor all around the room.

* * *

Devin approached the Emperor with grim determination, despite the verbal mauling he'd just received. The Emperor cackled loudly, not even bothering to arm himself. Devin reached out through the Force, trying to get any sense of the Emperor that he could. He could sense a familiarity about him, as if he belonged to a certain race that were easily identified through the Force. That made no sense though, as the Emperor appeared to be as human as they came. _Maybe he's a Miraluka?_

"That's not it, is it Devin?" the Emperor mocked. "My eyes work just as well as yours."

Devin smiled and snorted. "Nice trick, but I can do that too. This one is a lot more impressive, trust me."

Devin cupped his hands together, as if holding a large ball. What appeared to be a tiny sun formed, and he suddenly thrust it directly at the Emperor, bathing the entire hall in a bright orange glow for a split second. The intense ball of energy struck the Emperor square in the chest, burning through his robes and sending him flying backwards. He slammed hard into the back wall, then quickly stood up again. A lightsaber hilt appeared in his right hand, and an angry snarl formed on his lips.

"Force Destruction," Devin grinned. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"Not nearly as much as you might have hoped," the Emperor said calmly.

He gestured with his hand, and Devin began rising up off the ground.

"What the…"

With a satisfied grin, the Emperor raised his other hand in the air, his fingertips crackling with power. A bright storm of electricity shot out then, striking Devin in the centre of his chest. It surged throughout his entire body, spasming every muscle at once and heating it up to unbearable levels. Completely immobilised, there was nothing he could do to shrug the attack. Instead, he reached out with the Force and shoved the Emperor as hard as he could. The Emperor hit the back wall again, and hard this time, dazing him briefly and giving Devin time to recompose himself.

He heard an enormous explosion then as tiny pieces of wood and floor tiles sprayed around the room. He glanced over to his left and saw Byz's limp body lying in what he could only describe as a crater. Ferry was standing over him, deactivating her lightsabers. He glanced over to his right and saw Cursty supporting Tri'ina, helping her towards the exit. The Emperor got up then, swiping Devin aside with a powerful telekinetic thrust that sent him hurtling across the room and into one of the surviving benches hard enough to break it in half. Shocked at how sudden and brutal the attack was, he threw his white saber to intercept the Emperor before he could reach the two girls. The Emperor saw it coming though, and deftly ducked out of the way before picking up one of the broken halves of the bench with the Force and throwing it at him. It hit Devin in the shoulder and spun him around. He recovered quickly and raised his arms to Force push the Emperor, and quickly realised his left shoulder was dislocated. Grimacing in pain, he picked up the broken bench and threw it as hard as he could, missing the Emperor but buying enough time for Cursty to help Tri'ina reach the exit.

Ferry was trying to help Byz onto one of the intact benches when his body was ripped from her grasp and floated over to the Emperor.

"You can't have him!" she cried out desperately, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed his body with the Force, but the Emperor was too strong.

"Young Byz is _mine_," the Emperor grinned. "He has sworn himself to the dark side already. It is not a promise easily broken, even if he _wanted_ to."

Byz's eyes fluttered open then and the anger returned to them once more, rimming them in red as the irises turned bright yellow. He stood frailly on his own feet, still reeling from Ferry's attack.

"_You!_" he seethed. "It's not _possible!_ What the hell attack was that?"

"Byz, please, I'll tell you all about it, I'll tell you anything you want to know, just please come back with us," Ferry pleaded.

"She's made a fool of you again, Byz," the Emperor said quietly to him.

"That's utter rubbish!" Ferry shouted. "I defended myself, _nothing _more. I just want you back, Byz, I want my best friend back. _Please_ listen to me!"

"Even now she seeks to belittle you, Byz," he countered. "Do you want to know what she's _really_ thinking?"

Byz stared absently into the distance and nodded.

"She's laughing at you, Byz. She wants you back so she has someone around to make herself feel better-"

"That's a _lie_, Byz! He's _lying!_" Ferry screamed, totally distraught.

"She needs you to be weak, or how will she continue to receive the accolades that you yourself deserve?"

"Byz, I'm begging you, you're _better than this!_ I can't live without you, Byz, I _need_ you! You're my whole life! I _love_ you!"

Ferry collapsed onto the floor as Cursty handed Tri'ina over to Devin so she could comfort her master. By now Ferry was totally incomprehensible. She looked up at Byz, straight into his eyes, whimpering uncontrollably.

"You see?" the Emperor said to Byz. "She fears your rise to power. She fears you becoming a threat to her."

"She loves him!" Cursty shouted. "They love _each other!_ That's all she wants, all she _ever_ wants! Byz-"

Byz snatched Cursty by the throat with the Force and lifted her high off the ground. Ferry screamed, desperately grabbing hold of her legs and trying to pull her back down to the ground.

"No, Byz! Let her _go!_ This isn't you! _Stop it!_"

Byz continued to hold her in mid-air. Cursty's face went deep red as her little body was starved of oxygen. Tears ran down her face as her legs kicked the air.

"The dark side gives me the power I need to become what I was always meant to be," he said coldly.

"That's right," the Emperor cackled. "With the dark side as your ally, never again will you suffer the taunts of this pathetic Mandalorian child. Never again will you be forced to live in her shadow. As my apprentice, you will discover secrets of the Force that you never dreamed possible. Soon, you will grow more powerful than her or _any_ Jedi, young Byz."

Cursty's body went limp, and Ferry screamed. Before she'd even stood up, she had Byz's lightsaber in her left hand and Force lightning in her right. With a single, split-second blast, Ferry sent Byz hurtling through the back wall, crumbling the entire structure. The Emperor gestured at the roof, and suddenly the whole place began to shake.

"Grab Cursty!" Devin yelled. "_NOW!_"

Ferry never heard the command. Instinctively, she grabbed her apprentice's body under one arm and bolted for the exit, Force pushing the double-door entry so hard that both doors broke free of their mountings and smashed all the way through the building, creating a path out to the street. They all rushed through, escaping the collapsing building just as a billowing dust cloud swallowed them up, almost sweeping them off their feet.

Ferry collapsed onto her knees and used the Force to try and wake Cursty up. The young girl's pulse was slow, but after a few moments she opened her eyes again. Ferry hugged her to her chest and sobbed quietly as Devin slowly made his way over with Tri'ina in her arms.

"Come on," he said softly. "Master Blekkard's arrived to help us get these two to safety. We need to get out of here. The soldiers can finish up."

Ferry nodded her understanding as Jens helped herself and Cursty to their feet.

"I've got a transport waiting nearby," the older Jedi told them. "The sooner we get on it, the sooner we can have a nice, long rest back on Tython."

* * *

On board the _Corell Star_ the mood was sombre, despite the overwhelming victory by the Jedi Coalition forces. On the bridge, three of the six Jedi Council members were present, along with Admiral Deugan, Ferry and Cursty. Runice, Lenny and Kayla were on board the _Inimitable_, and their holograms appeared alongside the other Council members as soon as Deugan activated the holocom. Governor Terluch also appeared as a hologram, after deciding to stay on Corellia, and both Liina and Finnschall also appeared via holo from Tython.

"_Masters,"_ Terluch bowed, his hologram slightly more stable than the others. _"I'm so glad you could spare a few minutes. I know how busy you all must be after…well, recent events have obviously forced a dramatic re-think of your priorities. I appreciate you all being kind enough to speak to me. And thank you all so very much once again for your outstanding defence of my home. It is a gesture that my people and myself personally will never, ever forget."_

"_It was our pleasure, Governor,"_ Kayla said with a warm smile. _"It was never Corellia's decision to be involved in this in the first place. Defending is what the we do."_

"_Still, I never expected to be defending Corellia against the forces of the Republic,"_ Terluch replied, dipping his head slightly.

"What can we do for you, Governor?" Jens asked impatiently, but not rudely.

"_This time it's what Corellia can do for _you_,"_ Terluch smiled. _"I've had some time to think about this, and despite our initial hesitations about being involved, it seems Corellia has had her choice made for her anyway. If the Republic would deny us our democratic right, then the Republic will be denied the choice of whether or not we remain a part of it."_

"Then you'll join the Jedi Coalition?" Deugan asked with some surprise.

"_Yes, Admiral,"_ Terluch smiled. _"The Corellian system will gladly join you in your struggle against the Sith."_

"The Sith?" Ashlyn repeated.

Terluch smiled slyly. _"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's really going on here. One look at those black-robed maniacs is proof enough to me that the Republic would change its name to Empire, given enough time. That Kuati Chancellor, the 'deal' with the Chiss Ascendancy, the bounty on Jedi…the Sith are the ones in control of all this, aren't they?"_

Ashlyn smirked at Liina, and the twi'lek snorted in amusement.

"_It seems that you are quite a bit cleverer than you let on, Governor,"_ Finnschall chuckled.

"_Perhaps a little,"_ he smiled in return. _"Unlike many of the other systems of this galaxy though, we _do_ remember the last time a Sith gained control."_

"We will gladly accept Corellia's offer," Devin said. "And we will be in touch with you again as soon as we can."

Terluch bowed again as his connection terminated, leaving only the Jedi Council members, Ferry and Cursty.

"And so another ally comes forward," Jens commented. "We have done well here."

"_But at what cost?"_ Runice asked grimly.

"_Byz is a bright kid,"_ Lenny agreed. _"He was one of our most promising young Jedi. I never thought he'd turn. It's quite clever of the Emperor to go after him."_

"It's clever, yes," Devin said. "But he was always vulnerable to the dark side."

"_He's been so concerned with keeping up with Ferry that he's lost sight of what he's supposed to be doing. He couldn't handle his pride being assaulted like that," _Kayla added.

"But I love him," Ferry said softly, her eyes bloodshot and her face flushed from hours of sobbing. "I never wanted him to feel so bad about it. If I'd known-"

"_-would you have failed your missions just to make sure he didn't get upset?"_ Kayla interrupted. _"You've done nothing wrong, Ferry. You were assigned missions by the Council, and you completed them to the best of your ability, that's all. What exactly could you have done?"_

"I could've been nicer to him, I could've helped him, I could-"

"No you couldn't," Cursty stopped her. "I was there when he started getting jealous of you, remember? You're a great Jedi, Master Ferry. Just because you love someone, doesn't mean they're your responsibility."

Devin stood behind the young Padawan and placed his hands on her shoulders as Kayla smiled proudly across at her.

"_You should listen to your Padawan,"_ she said. _"She's absolutely right."_

"_Ferry,"_ Lenny began, _"Byz was my apprentice. I knew him as well if not better than anyone. You're being very hard on yourself, and I can understand that. We all understand that. But part of our philosophy is to grow stronger from the understanding that comes from dealing with strong emotional crises. You're doing that right now. This is part of the lesson of life, and it applies to everyone, not just Jedi. Byz is extremely powerful, very wilful and as cunning as a politician, but he wasn't ready for what he's been through. That isn't your fault, you weren't his master, and you certainly aren't him. There's only so much one person can do for another before it becomes their own responsibility. If anything, it's my fault for not preparing him correctly. It will never be your fault for being his best friend."_

A few tears rolled down Ferry's cheeks as she began to fully understand Lenny's sentiment. Deep down, she'd known from the moment Byz disappeared from the Force that it wasn't her fault, but _someone_ had to take the blame.

"He'll come after the temple on Tython," she said softly to Lenny. "You know that, right?"

Lenny nodded. "Indeed. They won't attack immediately though, so we may have some time to prepare and recuperate."

"_Will he risk it?"_ Finnschall asked. _"It's a very bold move."_

"_It doesn't matter if Byz will risk it," _Runice corrected. _"The Emperor will demand the location of our stronghold, and Byz will give it to him. From there, the boldness only needs to come from the Emperor."_

"Lenny's right though," Devin said, folding his arms. "They won't attack immediately. They'll gather a proper assault force and attack en masse, with all the Sith Lords they can gather. They won't try to be sneaky either. With Byz on their side, they'll be confident enough to do it in broad daylight with the entire Coalition fleet in strike positions. If we don't prepare, Tython will fall."

"Why don't we pack up and leave?" Cursty asked. "We did it on Coruscant pretty easily."

"On Coruscant, we had an army to help us out, and we'd been prepared to leave for weeks prior," Jens explained. "This time we're all settled in, and we have an entire military base to evacuate as well. We'd need about a week just to sort out the temple, and then we'd need another two for the military base. We won't have that much time. I'd give the Emperor three days, four tops until he strikes."

"_Jens, how are we going to defend against all the Sith?"_ Liina asked worriedly. _"We only have twenty-nine Jedi Knights, including the masters, now that Byz is gone. We'll need at least myself and Finn to protect the younglings, so that leaves twenty-seven Jedi, twenty-eight if you include Dialgar. The Sith will number in the hundreds."_

"_Quality, not quantity," _Runice smiled. _"We can move the younglings to a safer place. Perhaps our new friends in the Jedi Coalition can help us out with that. As long as they're not on Tython, the Sith won't have the numbers to go searching for them. Even if they _do_ go looking, one or two Sith won't be nearly enough to challenge our younglings. Besides, Liina, you're one of our most powerful. Besides the Emperor himself, I doubt there's a Sith still alive who could beat you."_

"_Runice is right,"_ Kayla agreed. _"They aren't strong enough individually to be much of a threat to us. Ferry has defeated multiple Sith at a time on numerous occasions now, without too much trouble. Plus we'll have Admiral Minvessen and his finest on our side as well, not to mention the home-ground advantage."_

"But we're getting ahead of ourselves a little bit," Devin continued on from Kayla. "Worrying ourselves with all this won't help us beat them. Let's just relax, heal up and regroup first."

"_We'll see you all back on Tython then," _Runice smiled warmly, and then the holocom transmission ended.

Ferry remained where she was and wiped more tears from her cheeks. She felt Cursty's little fingers interlacing with her own, and looked to her right to find the young girl smiling hopefully at her.

"Let's go find you some ale," she chirped, trying to cheer Ferry up a bit. "I'm sure there's at least one person on this bucket that will give a sixteen year old a drink after the day you've had."

Ferry couldn't help but blurt out a short, surprised laugh.

"You know, since you became my apprentice, you've taught me more than I've taught you."

"I know," Cursty grinned back at her. "You know how you can repay me?"

Ferry raised an eyebrow, wondering what to expect.

"I'd love a Special Forces uniform. You can think about it while I get you that drink."

Ferry laughed and shook her head as Cursty happily took off to find a stocked refrigerator. She had to admit, she _did_ feel better already. But she wasn't entirely sure she could ever forget the look in Byz's eyes; that look of betrayal and jealousy he'd had when she'd beaten him flashed through her mind every time she blinked. It broke her heart a tiny bit more each time she saw it, and she began to wonder how many blinks she'd have left before she couldn't take it anymore.

* * *

Byz approached the Emperor as requested, his chest still feeling very tight from the impact he'd suffered when Ferry sent him crashing through a solid wall. He stepped forward penitently but confidently, kneeling before the Emperor, who sat perched on his tall throne at the head of the hall rebuilt for him in Kaas City.

"Rise, my young apprentice," he croaked, glancing down at the empty spot on Byz's torn and scorched Jedi robes. "It seems you need some new equipment."

The Emperor gestured at a Chiss guard standing nearby, and the guard immediately disappeared out of the hall, reappearing moments later with his arms full. He knelt before Byz with the offering presented to him.

"A new set of robes, and a brand new lightsaber to replace the one stolen by the Hekla girl, the Emperor explained. "I'm sure you'll find them much more suited to your current position. May they serve you well."

Byz took the robes and the lightsaber, thumbing the activation stud. A brilliant crimson blade emanated from the long, cold hilt, and Byz immediately felt the saber's dark power coursing through him. It shifted its alignment at his will, feeding his thoughts and feelings, giving him a sense of unlimited power. A small smile crept onto his lips as he stared at the thrumming, brilliant blade, sensing the emotions the blade would help produce in the future. He heard the sounds of battle, distant in his mind but getting closer and closer.

"Thankyou, my Master," Byz bowed. "I can already feel the power of the dark side in this blade. It gives me strength. Strength I will use to cut down Ferros and all the Masters of the Jedi Council for their insult."

The Emperor grinned, and began cackling as he sensed the hatred burning in Byz's mind; the memories he forced to the surface and the anguish that came with them. Memories of Ferry's successes and his own failures, memories of a love unrequited and ultimately used against him. The Emperor could feel the overwhelming sense of betrayal that consumed Byz, and he knew then that he'd done the right thing in recruiting him instead of going after the Mandalorian Jedi again.

"The time has come, my young apprentice," he started, getting to his feet and joining Byz at the bottom of the two steps that one was required to ascend before reaching the throne. "We have the power now, and we have the knowledge. We must strike at the heart of the Jedi soon if we are to weaken them enough for my ultimate plan to succeed."

"Tython," Byz said coldly. "We must annihilate them at Tython."

"Precisely, apprentice," the Emperor agreed, clapping Byz on the shoulder. "You have an intimate knowledge of the planet and the temple. If we are to prove your superior strength to the Jedi who betrayed you, we will need your assistance in planning the assault."

"Of course, my Lord," he replied. "You have my full and unwavering cooperation."

"Excellent," the Emperor cackled amusedly. "I assure you, my young friend, with our combined power the Jedi will not be able to resist us. You will lead us to victory, and prove to the galaxy that your power is without equal."

"Except when compared with yours, my Lord," Byz said, bringing another grin to the Emperor's face.

"You are wise, young Master Akkon, but humble. Humility is not a skill required of you here. The Sith would not suppress you with such primitive notions of decency and class. We all share a vision, and only together can we accomplish our goals. Someday your power may indeed eclipse my own. Such is the way of the Order of the Sith Lords, for millennia past and millennia to come. Until then, you remain the most powerful of my servants; my friends. You are my enforcer, and as such you are above reproach from anyone other than myself."

"I am honoured, my Lord," Byz replied, immediately stopping in his tracks to bow low to the Emperor.

"Your name…" the Emperor trailed off as he searched his mind. "Your name is no longer Byz Akkon, as you are no longer a member of the Jedi Order. You will now be known to all as Darth Figennus, Emperor's Wrath. You answer only to me, and no one else. This is a position not filled for ten thousand years, my young friend. Such is your importance to the Sith."

The newly anointed Darth Figennus rose to his feet, his red-rimmed yellow eyes burning with pride and bloodlust.

"Now come," the Emperor gestured towards the exit of the hall. "We must meet with the Dark Council shortly to discuss the destruction of the temple on Tython. It would be fitting, I think, for your new robes to make their debut along with yourself."

* * *

Ashlyn poked her head through the door to the _Corell Star_'s rec room, and seeing her former apprentice she stepped inside and made her way over. Ferry's eyes still appeared heavy and bloodshot, even though they were a vast improvement over how she looked when she first came aboard after leaving Corellia. Ashlyn sighed to herself, knowing that there was very little she could to do help her with the burden. She also knew that she had to try, regardless of how effective or ineffective the effort may be. Ashlyn and Ferry still maintained quite a close friendship, and the bond that always formed between Master and Apprentice still remained strongly.

"Hey, Ferry-girl," she said, taking a seat next to her. "How ya feeling?"

"Like _osik_," Ferry replied.

The Togruta girl wrapped an arm around Ferry's shoulders and pulled her closer.

"We weren't just saying that stuff before for your benefit, you know. It really isn't your fault."

"I know," Ferry sighed. "But someone has to take the blame…if I wasn't around, he wouldn't have had anything to feel jealous of. I wonder if this would have happened if I never came to Coruscant all those years ago."

"That's ridiculous," Ashlyn blurted. "That's like saying it's the Jedi Order's fault that the Sith exist."

"Well, in a way, it sort of is."

Ashlyn gave her an admonishing look, and Ferry responded with a wry grin to let her know she wasn't being entirely serious.

"There's too many variables, Ferry," Ashlyn continued. "The fact is, it's happened already and there isn't really anything that anyone can do about that. We can either passively mourn the past forever and ever, or actively change the future."

Ferry sniffed in amusement. "You sound more and more like a Jedi Master every day, Ash."

"I _do_ turn phrase pretty well these days, don't I?"

Both girls giggled as Cursty reappeared with the promised drink for her master.

"Thanks, sweetie," Ferry smiled as sweetly as she could. "I hope that's not from Deugan's personal stock."

Cursty looked guiltily down at her knee-high military boots as a shade of pink crept into her cheeks.

"He said it was okay, but only after he caught me raiding," she answered. "He was actually going to offer you one anyway, so it all worked out fine."

Ferry and Ashlyn shared a look of worry, but Ashlyn shrugged in dismissal so Ferry began sipping away at the ale.

"He's not dead, you know," Cursty said suddenly, drawing a look of confusion from her master. "Byz, I mean. He didn't die. We can help him come back from the dark side."

Ashlyn smiled as Cursty's childish innocence reminded her of how simple the galaxy could be sometimes. With all the fighting the Order had gone through since Kayla and Devin reformed it, it was pretty easy to forget that almost everything could be summarised with such succinctness.

"We'll make sure of it, Ferry," she assured her former Padawan. "Byz means a lot to all of us. We'll do everything we can to bring him back."

The young Mandalorian wiped another pair of tears as they formed in her eyes, and Ashlyn gently kissed her forehead in reassurance.

"Thanks, you guys," she sniffed. "I dunno what I'd do without you both."

"You know how you can repay me," Cursty grinned hopefully.

Ashlyn frowned in confusion, the remark totally lost on her. Ferry shook her head and chuckled.

"She wants a Special Forces uniform," she explained.

Cursty's gaze immediately shifted to Ashlyn, the hopeful expression intensifying as Ashlyn's lekku twitched at being put on the spot.

"I'm not sure we have anything left in your size, Cursty," Ashlyn replied. "Most soldiers are taller than one and a half metres."

"I was only kidding," Cursty dismissed with a smile, but Ashlyn could sense the slight pang of disappointment. She knew Cursty just wanted to emulate her master's style though, and that was a pretty innocent desire for a little Padawan.

She stroked Cursty's hair and started chuckling as she got to her feet. She raised her hands in defeat.

"Alright, I'll see what I can find for you then."

Cursty squealed her thanks to the Togruta Jedi Master as she turned and left.

"You know you have to work extra hard at mastering those twin sabers now," Ferry quipped, grateful for the change of conversational topic. Anything other than Byz or the dark side was very welcome.

"I promise I'll work super hard," Cursty said happily. "Actually, I'm going to go train right now."

"That's very admirable of you," Ferry replied, "but you can rest until we get back to Tython. Right now, there's a little twi'lek in the infirmary that lost her master today. I'm sure she'd love a visit from a good friend."


	13. Chapter 13

For the first time since arriving on Tython, the air felt genuinely cold. A threatening-looking dark cloud appeared over the horizon to the east, where the hills rose up to meet the Kalikori Village, a place once inhabited by a group of Twi'leks almost ten thousand years ago. Liina had read about the famous 'Force Storms' that would occur when the balance between light and dark shifted on Tython. Reaching into the Force, she felt the subtle increase in dark side energy and knew instantly that the Sith would be attacking very soon.

One question that had always bothered her still remained: where were the Flesh Raiders? Once, a long time ago, the Flesh Raiders had been little more than semi-sentient beasts, but over time they had evolved to the point where in rare circumstances a Flesh Raider could even use the Force. Since arriving on Tython though, not one Flesh Raider had been spotted by any Jedi, soldier or officer. Even ex-Chancellor Makrus Golan hadn't mentioned having any encounters with them when he was busy rebuilding the Jedi Temple in secret. It had been thousands of years since anyone had spent any length of time on the Deep Core world – long enough for a species to evolve a little. If they were able to use the Force back then – albeit in very rare circumstances – then after thousands more years, surely they'd be somewhat of a threat by now?

The clouds continued to roll slowly up over the distant hills, giving the air a foreboding feel that Liina knew was caused by the Force. She sighed, wondering to herself if there was really anything more she could do.

"Short of listening to some news I'm about to divulge, no, there's nothing more you can do for the time being," Finnschall said, appearing at the temple entrance and startling Liina.

She jumped slightly, then put a hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Am I so transparent?"

"Not normally," the Togruta replied. "This should ease your tension a little though. Kreeebukk just contacted us. He says we can move the younglings to Kashyyyk, for as long as is necessary."

Liina's eyes betrayed her emotions, although she made no attempt to conceal them anyway.

"That's fantastic news," the twi'lek said. "We've already got all the basics we need to keep teaching all loaded up into a transport, so once we get the kids on board we can go straight there."

"My thoughts exactly," Finnschall replied. "Shall we tell our benevolent leader?"

Liina nodded and led the way inside, finding Kayla in the communications room.

"Hello, gorgeous girls," she said happily, stopping her fiddling with the holocom unit to give the two Jedi Masters her full attention. "What's happening?"

"We just got a call from Senator Kreeebukk," Finnschall explained. "The Wookiees offered us a place to continue our work with the younglings."

"That's excellent news," Kayla smiled. "You probably should get going as soon as possible, too. I don't like that storm."

Liina and Finnschall exchanged a look, wondering how Kayla knew about it when she'd been inside the whole time. Liina shook her head with a grin on her face as she remembered who she was talking to.

Suddenly Jens and Ferry entered the room. Their entrance coincided with a beep from the holocom, indicating that a call was coming through. Kayla quickly pushed the 'accept' button and a holographic image of Admiral Slen'otu appeared.

"_Masters," _Slen'otu bowed reverently. _"I thought you should know that my sensors have picked up a Chiss scout craft entering the system from the direction of Coruscant."_

"They're scoping out our defences," Kayla surmised.

"_That's what I was thinking. They won't attack from that direction when they arrive properly. But at least we have some sort of a time frame now."_

"I disagree," Jens interjected. "The most important thing for the Sith will be to get their warriors on the ground. They will _attack_ from that direction, but their landing craft will approach from a completely different angle."

"_If that's the case," _Slen'otu began, scratching his furry beard, _"we'd best spread out the fleets a little."_

"Tell Admiral Renuub to move the Fifth Fleet to cover any approach from galactic east," Kayla told him. "And have the _Showstopper _and the _Prohibitor_ put in place to prevent any micro-jumps they might try."

"_Of course, Master Talus. Might I suggest you put a few Jedi in their X-Wings too?"_

"Way ahead of you, Admiral," Kayla smiled. "We've got four on their way to the _Alderaanian_ as we speak."

"_Only four?"_ the Admiral asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Meln," she replied somewhat sadly. "We need everyone else on the ground to protect the temple."

"_Understood, Master Talus,"_ Slen'otu said. _"I'll get onto Renuub as soon as I can. And Master Talus?"_

"Yes, Admiral?"

Slen'otu's fangs appeared as the Bothan flashed a smile at her. _"May the Force be with you."_

"And you, Meln."

The hologram disappeared, leaving Kayla, Jens, Ferry, Finnschall and Liina alone.

"We'd best get out of here," Liina said. "We don't have much time."

"Don't worry, Liina," Kayla reassured her, sensing the apprehensiveness emanating from the twi'lek. "Everything will be fine. Just keep that comlink on and keep in touch with Kreeebukk in case we call."

Finnschall and Liina smiled down at Kayla and nodded their acknowledgement as they left the room.

"Now," Kayla clapped her hands. "Our strategy."

"Assuming they land successfully," Jens began, "and they _will_ land successfully, let us be in no doubt about that, they will probably attempt to flank us. We should cover the east and the west; they'll most likely send the bulk of their force down the hills."

"And what about the south?" Ferry asked.

"What about it?" Jens replied. "It's not a good approach. Too rocky. It'll take too long."

"That's exactly why they'll go that way," Ferry snapped. "All they need to do is wear down our numbers from the east and west, like you said, and then later on once everyone's tired and both sides' numbers have dwindled a bit, the third group arrives and wipes us out."

"They'll lose too many Sith if they try that," Jens objected.

"And what makes you think they'll care? Once the Jedi are out of the picture, they can do what they like. As long as the Emperor doesn't die, they can rebuild and remain strong."

"She's right," Kayla agreed. "They have the numbers to attack on three fronts, and they don't care about losses. They'll try to overwhelm us on the east and west, and send their most powerful in from the south to take out whoever's left afterwards."

"Byz," Ferry said sternly. "He'll lead their approach from the south. He's familiar with the terrain, he knows the way, he'll know how to stay hidden and exactly where we'll be."

Kayla nodded her agreement. "Then we need to coordinate accordingly."

"I'll take east," Jens offered. "I've spent some time out there and I know the paths through the old Kalikori Village and out the other side. We can station the Jedi Knights at the start of the path while I ambush them from behind. I'll take Devin and Lenny with me."

"Good," Kayla nodded. "In that case, Runice and Ashlyn can lead the group defending the west approach. Ferry, you and I will head south on our own."

"On our own?" Ferry questioned her. "But they'll send their best in from there. If the Sith really number in the hundreds, if not thousands, there's no way we can fight them all off by ourselves."

"And what makes you think that?" Kayla grinned. "Both of us have fought against Dark Council members, and both of us are still here to tell the tale. They've only had the same amount of time as we've had to build up their numbers, and if the Dark Councillors we've faced are any indication of their approximate skill, I don't think there's anything to worry about."

Ferry frowned, trying to see reason in the Jedi Master's logic. Kayla snorted in amusement.

"The worst that will happen is that we'll be pressed back towards the temple," she explained. "We have eleven Jedi going east and ten going west, and that doesn't include the Padawans, _and_ we have the home-ground advantage. They'd need to send one hundred and fifty Sith to beat us here."

"There's only about two hundred Sith in total," came a small female voice from the entrance to the room, characterised by a rather common-inflected Coreward accent. "They won't send them all here. They know just as well as you do that there's a good chance they'll all die here, so they'll keep a decent-sized force back on Dromund Kaas, along with the Emperor himself."

Dialgar was dressed in a brand new black Jedi cloak with tan coloured robes. She also wore a new double-bladed lightsaber at her hip.

"Forgive me," she bowed, "I took the liberty of getting myself some new clothes. I also used your geological compressor to make new lightsaber crystals. I hope you don't mind."

"Show me the blade," Ferry demanded.

Dialgar ignited both ends of the saberstaff, and it shone in a brilliant yellow hue. A very distinct yellow hue that was instantly recognisable to all Jedi present.

"You used Byz's crystal!" Jens shouted with disgust. "Nobody gave you the right to-"

"Let her explain, Jens," Kayla interrupted.

"I thought it would be a bit poetic, seeing as he's fallen to the dark side. I wanted to make good use of the crystal, you see. It's not the crystal's fault. It hasn't changed sides."

"When Byz returns to the Jedi, he's going to want it back," Jens argued.

"And when he does, he'll want to make a new crystal," Ferry told him. "I'm fine with it."

"Thanks awfully, Master Hekla," Dialgar said with genuine gratitude. "This means a lot to me."

"That crystal belonged to my best friend," Ferry said flatly. "Take good care of it, Dialgar."

"Please don't call me that," she said, deactivating the saberstaff. "I'm not her anymore. I don't want anything to do with her. I came here to Tython hoping that I'd have half a chance of rejecting the dark side, and I've been given that chance. To continue using my Sith name after all that would just be wrong."

"What should we call you then?" Kayla asked.

Dialgar sheepishly looked down at her new knee-high black boots as she re-clipped the saberstaff to her belt.

"Before I turned to the dark side, when I was just a little girl on Coruscant, my name was Helena Prudal."

"Prudal?" Kayla asked, taken by surprise. "You wouldn't by any chance be related to Heinrich Prudal, the crime lord, would you?"

Dialgar – Helena – blushed heavily with embarrassment.

"Perhaps you understand why I turned to the dark side so easily now."

"You're his daughter…the one who ran away…" Kayla said quietly. "Nobody knew where you'd gone."

"I stowed away on a freighter when I was thirteen," Helena explained. "The crew discovered me eventually, and they dropped me off in an escape pod when they passed the nearest planet. The planet was Dromund Kaas."

"You're only eighteen," Ferry realised.

"You're only sixteen," Helena countered. "And now you know my backstory. We have more important things to discuss right now though, such as why I'm going to cover the path south with you and Master Talus."

"What makes you think we'd let you? You'd be awfully close to two of our most powerful Jedi for an extended period of time, far away from the rest of the Order," Jens said.

"I know you don't trust me, and I can understand that," Helena answered. "Masters Talus and Hekla are more than capable of fending off any attempt I might make to attack them though. I _want_ to prove to you all that I'm dedicated. I _want _to be a Jedi Knight. Let me show you I'm worthy. I want to help defend the temple against my old brethren."

The three Jedi glanced at each other, Jens' eyes filled with mistrust. Ferry and Kayla quickly exchanged surface thoughts.

"Very well," Kayla answered. "You'll come with us then. For the moment though, perhaps you can give us some insight into how the Sith will approach, and what sort of attack strategies they'll employ."

"Oh it'd be my pleasure, Master Talus," Helena grinned. "And really, really thankyou. I absolutely promise I won't let any of you down."

* * *

Jake Minvessen stood at the bridge of the _Solar Wind_ with Fleet Admiral Jellener, watching as the Republic Sixth Fleet emerged from hyperspace right in front of Meln Slen'otu's Third Fleet. Space instantly lit up with the red flashes of turbolaser fire as the two fleets challenged one another and deployed their starfighters.

"Jellener, tell Slen'otu to deploy the Jedi-led squadrons immediately," Minvessen ordered.

Jellener reiterated the order to the communications officer.

"Are you sure about this, Jake?" the older Admiral asked. "The Sith may choose to attack us directly and slip their landing craft through the gap in the fleets. We may need one of those squadrons."

It was a real possibility. The First and Fifth fleets were positioned on opposite sides of Tython, so any possible hyperspace approach could be covered, but this still left a window between the First and Fifth fleets on either side of the planet where they might try to get past. Due to the nature of the Deep Core, hyperlanes were sparse, and only certain vectors could be used safely. By positioning the Third Fleet at the main entry point and far away from the planet itself, this left only one other possible vector, which was now being covered by Admiral Renuub's Fifth Fleet.

"I'm confident that the Sith will attempt to engage only the Fifth and Third fleets," he answered.

The plan was that by covering both possible entry points, the Sith would be forced to engage the Jedi Coalition fleets directly, or risk a microjump in-system to avoid them. Kayla had ordered the Coalition's two Interdictors to take up positions to counter the microjumps, and the assumption was that the Sith would attempt to slip their landing craft right through the middle of the battle.

"We still have the Second Fleet waiting if we need help, remember?" Minvessen assured Jellener.

Just as he finished speaking, another Republic Fleet reverted to realspace in front of the Coalition's Third Fleet. They were badly outnumbered now.

"Sithspit," Minvessen cursed.

"You have a choice, Jake," Jellener advised. "Call in the Second Fleet to help out, or we microjump in."

"If we call Deugan in, we have no more manoeuvrability or backup. We're stuck here," Jake answered.

He thought about it for a moment, wondering why the Sith would even bother sending in four whole fleets. It seemed crazy to dedicate so many resources to a single space battle when the real fight was to occur on the surface of the planet between two groups of Force users. If _he_ was in charge of the Sith attack, he'd have just sent a single fleet as a diversion while a stealthed transport of some kind went in and landed itself.

His thoughts were interrupted as a third fleet – this time a Chiss fleet – reverted to realspace and began fighting with Slen'otu's fleet.

"Send in the Second Fleet and prepare to microjump," Minvessen ordered the comms officer.

"Sir," the young male officer confirmed, then quickly established connections and relayed the orders.

"Jump on my mark," Jellener said, speaking loud enough for everyone on the bridge to hear. "Three, two, one, mark."

The jump was over as quickly as it began, and suddenly the First Fleet was right in the thick of the action. Moments later the Second Fleet arrived, flanking the three enemy fleets from behind.

"It's been a long time since I saw this many ships in one place," Jellener said solemnly. "All for the sake of one little temple on an almost-forgotten planet."

_I hope you stay safe down there, Ashlyn,_ Jake thought to himself, thankful there weren't any Jedi around to read his thoughts. _We're doing our best up here._

"Admiral Renuub reports he's under attack, sir!" the comms officer shouted. "Chiss fleet coming out of hyperspace right in front of them."

"This was expected," Minvessen nodded. "Are they able to hold them off?"

"Yes, sir. Admiral Renuub says he'll be-"

"One Chiss ship slipped through, sir," the sensor officer interrupted. "Sensors detect a _Diminutive_-class Chiss Corvette heading towards the planet, right where we were a few moments ago."

Minvessen cursed loudly and punched his palm. "How the hell did they get through? I didn't see anything!"

"No idea sir," the officer shrugged. "One minute there was nothing but empty space, the next there's a Corvette."

"Stealth. The damn Chiss have figured out how to fool our sensors," Minvessen surmised. "Open a channel to the temple. I need to speak to General Talus immediately."

The comms officer quickly did as he was told, and in a few seconds Kayla Talus appeared as a hologram in the centre of the _Solar Wind_'s bridge.

"_Jake, I sense trouble,"_ she said, seemingly not missing a beat.

"We've got fighting on two fronts, Kayla. A Chiss fleet and the Republic Fourth and Sixth Fleets have engaged Slen'otu, and a second Chiss fleet now fights Renuub. A stealthed Chiss Corvette got past us and is headed your way right now."

"_Remember, the Corellians have offered their assistance if you need it," _Kayla reminded him. _"Incidentally, have you scanned the capital ships?"_

"Scanned them for what exactly?"

Minvessen was totally lost. Why would he scan them for anything? It seemed to be a waste of perfectly good resources in a battle as huge and fierce as this one.

"_Life forms_," she answered. _"Take a look at the class distinctions on those Republic capital ships. They'll be more than a decade old, and if I'm not mistaken, the Fourth and Sixth fleets were long overdue for replacement."_

Minvessen finally caught on to what Kayla was suggesting then as Jellener came over and began to give the conversation his full attention.

"Of course…with Mon Cal Shipyards and Corellian Engineering both with the Jedi Coalition, and Versca as Chancellor…"

"Kuat Drive Yards will stand to make a handsome profit," Jellener completed the statement. "They're sacrificing the ships as a distraction, hoping to take out as much of our fleets as they can."

Minvessen's eyes went wide with realisation – a look he shared momentarily with Jellener.

"I'm so sorry Kayla, but we really need to go," Minvessen said apologetically. "Good luck down there, and may the Force be with you."

"_Take care, Jake. Ashlyn says hi."_

Minvessen took two deep breaths to calm himself down, then walked towards the forward viewport.

"Get me a life form scan of all enemy capital ships, immediately," he ordered.

After a nervous minute or two watching the battle unfold in an eerily normal fashion, the numbers finally came back.

"Scans show all enemy ships have minimal life forms on board, sir," the sensor officer announced. "They must have droids at weapon stations."

"Droids…" Jellener said under his breath. "Talus is right. They're sacrificing their fleets."

"I scanned the starfighters too, sir. They're all as old as the capital ships."

Minvessen knew now that he had two choices: stay and fight, and possibly risk being rammed by all three fleets once their shields fell, or retreat to a safe distance and hope they don't get too close to Tython.

"We can't run, Jake," Jellener told him. "Even with a skeleton crew and droids filling posts, they're still capable of decimating Tython. Nobody in the Republic cares what happens to this planet."

The holocom unit began beeping as a transmission came through. Jellener answered it, revealing the caller to be Captain Hansdorf aboard the _Disruptor_-class Interdictor _Prohibitor_, of Deugan's Second Fleet.

"_Admirals Jellener and Minvessen," _he said politely. _"I trust you can see the predicament we're in at the moment with the empty capital ships."_

"Yes, Captain," Minvessen confirmed. "We were just trying to think of a way out of this mess."

"_Allow me, Admiral,"_ Hansdorf said with a grin. _"The _Prohibitor_ and the _Showstopper_ are still in position. Perhaps we can microjump around the back and take out their sublight engines. If you divert the _Inimitable_ and the _Stargazer_'s fire as well, we can easily do it. We'll only need a few minutes, then they can get back to the battle."_

Minvessen thought about it. It wasn't a bad idea, really. Despite the Second Fleet flanking the three enemy fleets from behind, none of them had bothered with rear deflector shields because Deugan was busy attacking the bows, where all the important systems like shield generators were located. By sending in the two Interdictors along with the two _Infiltrator_-class Warships, their combined firepower would make short work of the enemy sublight drives. Of course, even with droids operating most of the enemy's systems, losing two capital ships even for a few minutes could be potentially catastrophic. Minvessen decided it was a chance they had to take. They simply couldn't afford to be rammed by three whole fleets-worth of capital ship hulls. It'd cripple the Jedi Coalition quite possibly beyond repair.

"Do it, Hansdorf," Minvessen told the young Captain. "For the Jedi."

"_For the Jedi, sir."_

Hansdorf's hologram dissolved into nothingness as Minvessen took several more deep, calming breaths.

"So this is the second Battle of Tython, thirty-one thousand years after the first," Jellener said with a sigh, stroking his white moustache thoughtfully.

"I never thought it would be this way," Minvessen replied introspectively.

"You probably never thought you'd steal four of the Republic's fleets and all their crews, either," Jellener chuckled.

Minvessen smirked. "I suppose that's true. I'm glad it's for a good cause though."

He turned and looked out the viewport as the _Inimitable _and the _Stargazer_ moved into position behind the three enemy fleets.

"Remind me, Willem," he said with a grin, "if we all get out of this alive, I really have to ask Ashlyn Valos out."

Jellener tipped his head back slightly and laughed raucously.

"About bloody time," he replied, clapping the younger Admiral on the shoulder with a big, firm hand. "If I were her, I'd have given up by now and gone after a much younger, much bolder man."

"If you were her, I'd ask you to shave off the moustache," Minvessen grinned. "Besides, you're too tall, and your hands are too big."

Jellener laughed loudly again, and the tense atmosphere of the _Solar Wind_'s bridge dissipated quickly as the rest of the crew laughed along with him.

* * *

Kayla stepped between the rows of equipment and the many Jedi Knights preparing for the upcoming battle. The entire front foyer of the temple was filled, and the Force itself was thick with the sense of duty and apprehension that always came before a battle. Eventually she found what she was looking for in an adjacent room.

"Hey Kayla," Ferry said as she walked through the doorway.

"Ferry," Kayla acknowledged. "I wanted to talk to you about something before we head out."

Ferry clipped her lightsabers to her belt and regarded the slightly shorter girl with nonchalance.

"If you're more comfortable going west and fighting off the Sith forces there, I can have Ashlyn or Runice swap with you, it's-"

"No, it's quite alright," Ferry smiled, trying her best to hide her feelings on the matter.

Kayla wasn't convinced though. She gave Ferry an incredulous look that suggested that it wasn't such a wise idea to keep the truth from a Jedi Master.

"Look," Ferry started, a much more serious look on her face all of a sudden, "if Byz's fall to the dark side has anything at all to do with me, then it's my responsibility to do everything I can to turn him back."

"You can't _still_ be blaming yourself," Kayla frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "I admire your devotion and courage, but I need to know you're really ready for this."

Ferry turned on her heels and stepped towards Kayla, putting her left hand on her shoulder.

"This is much bigger than any one relationship," Ferry said. "Stopping the Sith is the number one objective. Whatever my feelings are on the matter, they come second."

"We can and will try to turn him back, Ferry," Kayla assured her. "Just promise me if it gets to be too much for you that you'll at least tell me. Your reactions so far have been less than healthy."

"What do you mean, 'less than healthy'?" Ferry asked, defensively putting her hands on her hips.

Kayla sighed a little, trying to think of the best words for the situation.

"Well you had a fight with Byz before we went to Corellia – don't think I hadn't noticed," Kayla added when she saw Ferry's eyes widen slightly. "Then after you came back you were totally distraught; incomprehensible. Now you're acting like you're fine and nothing's wrong, even though it's only been a day since then. Bottling everything up like that is a recipe for disaster."

Kayla could see clearly that Ferry wasn't taking too kindly to her words, and decided to change her approach to be slightly friendlier and more concerned.

"I know you've been through a lot now and you're no longer the little girl who came to the Jedi Order from Mandalore. I know you'll probably get through this without a scratch on you. I just want to make sure I don't lose my friend down there in the canyons."

Ferry smiled gratefully at her and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry about me," she mumbled. "But it's nice to know I'm not alone. Thankyou."

"Anytime," Kayla replied, kissing Ferry on the cheek. "You ready then?"

"Just waiting on my little mate," she replied while fastening the last of the straps on her synthleather combat boots. "She should be along any moment now."

Almost as soon as Ferry's heavy boot hit the floor Cursty walked in wearing the new Special Forces uniform Ashlyn had gotten her. It was one of Kayla's spares – being the only set that would actually fit her tiny frame – and as a consequence they were slightly looser-fitting.

"Wow, don't we look all official now," Ferry smirked as Cursty did a little twirl.

"I think I look cute," the young Jedi commented.

"Well let's hope the Sith have a soft spot for cute little girls then," Kayla smiled. "Come on, Helena's waiting for us already."

"Who's Helena?" Cursty asked.

"The Sith girl who changed sides," Ferry explained. "She doesn't want to be known as Dialgar anymore. Her real name is Helena Prudal."

"_Helena_ Prudal?" Cursty repeated.

Kayla and Ferry both noticed Cursty's reaction as a flood of memories came rushing back to her.

"That's right," Kayla confirmed. "You know her?"

"Well, the Prudals were some pretty bad people," Cursty told them. "They did a lot of things, mostly stuff like spice and slaves. They took a lot of my friends, other orphans mostly. Helena helped me escape from them when I was six years old, but I never saw her again after that."

"That's because they found out what I was up to," Helena explained as she walked through the door. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. I came inside to see what was keeping you."

Cursty squinted at Helena, walking around her and studying her closely. Helena then pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and Cursty's eyes lit up with recognition.

"It's really you, isn't it?" the younger girl finally said. "I didn't recognise you before. You've changed so much. What happened to you?"

Helena kneeled down in front of Cursty and looked up at her with a sad smile.

"It's a long story, Curstenn. I promise I'll explain it all to you when we get back, but right now we have to protect this place. We've got an important job to do."

Cursty nodded her understanding, and Helena's serious façade finally broke as a truly happy smile emerged. She outstretched her arms, and Cursty willingly embraced her.

"I always knew you'd make it, Curstenn. It's really good to see you again, to see how well you've done," Helena said, her voice muffled as she buried her head in the young girl's shoulder.

"I never would have survived this long without you. And I never got to thank you for helping me. You just disappeared. I really thought I'd never see you ever again."

"I would have looked after you, you know," Helena told her, then quickly got to her feet again. "I promise I'll tell you everything," she said, then spoke to both Kayla and Ferry as well. "All of you. When we have some time. There are things you should all know."

Helena and Cursty led the way outside, and Kayla stopped briefly to whisper in Ferry's ear.

"Did that seem as sincere to you as it did to me?"

"If I had any doubts about her, they're diminishing," Ferry answered. "But we'll see what she has to tell us afterwards."

Kayla stepped through the massive temple doorway, and saw that all the Jedi and some of the military personnel had gathered out the front, at the bottom of the huge staircase. She turned to Devin and Ferry with a look of concern and hesitance; Devin just winked at her.

"They're waiting for a speech," Ferry explained. "Go on."

Ferry put her hands on Kayla's butt and gently pushed her into the centre of the staircase, then stepped back to the sides to join Devin.

_Dammit_, she thought, frowning at Ferry subtly. She took a deep breath and concentrated her thoughts on the consequences of what would happen should they fail. In her mind she saw images of children in chains, entire planets wiped of their population, whole species of sentients erased from existence. Then she saw Devin, Ashlyn and Ferry bound and watching helplessly as people were tortured in front of them, unable to do anything about it, or risk causing more pain. The images became a little too real for her, and she shrugged them off before they could have a physical impact on her emotional state. The last thing she needed to do was start crying just before making an important speech.

"We've received word from the _Solar Wind_," she began. "The Sith forces – both Republic and Chiss – have entered the Tython system. The First, Second, Third and Fifth fleets are all up there fighting on our behalf as we speak. Just minutes ago we received word that one Chiss Corvette managed to slip past them and make its way towards Tython itself. It'll be here within the hour."

The crowd began to murmur quietly as they absorbed the news. Kayla didn't detect anything strange from them in the Force, only grim resolve and acknowledgement. They all knew it was coming, but it may have come as a shock to some at how soon.

"You all know the plan," she continued, "and most of you have fought the Sith before in some capacity. You know exactly what they are capable of, and you know the kind of conscience they lack entirely. You all know well that they will not stop until all of us or all of them lay dead on Tython's surface.

"We have an advantage over the Sith though: our training. We are far more disciplined than they are, and they know it. That's why they're going to be coming here with a force many times our own. They cannot hope to win in a one-versus-one battle, they simply aren't good enough to compete with us in a fair fight. But you all know just as well as I do that the Sith do _not_ play fair. They will group up against us, they will trick us, they will lie to us…all things that we would _never _do. But we don't need to resort to tricks and unfair advantages. We're _Jedi_, and we will show the Sith right here on our historical home planet that there's _nothing_ they can do to prevent us from reclaiming our rightful place in the galaxy.

"We will show them that the dark side of the Force is not a tool to empower the selfish. We will show them what our years of proper training and experience and hard work can do. So what if they bring over a hundred Sith here? We're _better_ than that. We will show them that no matter how many they send, no matter how many they brainwash and how powerful they think they are, they are _nothing_ compared to a real Jedi."

She could feel the pride coming from Devin and Ashlyn in particular, but there was a general pervading sense of positivity emanating from everyone there, even the soldiers. She was about to admire her own ability to speak when she caught herself and decided to finish on a winning note.

"You all know the plan," she said again. "The Sith will be here soon, and when they arrive, give them the full hospitality of the Jedi Order. May the Force be with you all."

The crowd quickly dispersed, each person going where the plan dictated. Ashlyn and Runice headed to Kayla's right – towards the hills to the west of the temple – and were followed by another eight Jedi Knights and several Padawans, Gavin Hekla among them. Devin, Jens and Lenny all headed in the opposite direction with another eight Knights and several Padawans – Crinnul Forster and Xander Reklos walking ahead of the rest.

"Nice speech," Ferry said as Kayla watched the others heading out. "You could put Senator Serluss to shame with words like that."

"Well, he _did_ write it for me."

"Did he?" Ferry asked with surprise, then caught on to the joke, remembering Kayla's sense of humour. "No he didn't," she grinned.

Kayla giggled as she headed down the stairs, then broke into a jog as Ferry, Cursty and Helena fell in behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

The rocky canyons to the south of the temple once had paths carved throughout them, first by the Flesh Raiders, and then by the Jedi Order years later. Thousands of years had passed since then, and now the tracks were completely gone. Where once the scything dirt and gravel tracks formed a walkway that was easily accessible and tirelessly travelled, now lay only grass, rocks and more rocks.

Kayla, Ferry, Cursty and Helena leapt from cliff edge to cliff edge using the Force, walking along what they assumed were once tracks until it would abruptly end with a high wall that was completely unscalable. For anyone else, the constant blockages would be infuriating. After what seemed like half the day, but in reality was only an hour or so, the four girls finally felt people approaching.

"Hide your Force presence," Kayla ordered.

They took up cover positions scattered around the area and suppressed themselves in the Force, waiting for the group of Sith to get closer. The spot they'd stopped in was a deep valley surrounded by hundred-foot high sheer cliff faces, with flatter surfaces winding through it, almost like a complex, dried-up riverbed. All of them had cleverly chosen places that the sun wouldn't reach them, so their shadows wouldn't give them away. Helena was in position closest to the approaching group, followed by Cursty, then Kayla, and finally Ferry.

They began to hear voices, and Kayla assumed the Sith were now about five hundred metres away from them. As they got closer and closer she could start to make out what they were saying, and she thought she even recognised Byz's voice. Relieved that Helena's information and their planning had proven to be correct – Byz was indeed leading the strongest Sith up through the canyons towards the temple, thinking that the Jedi would assume the terrain too difficult – she breathed out heavily but quietly and tried to get a better sense of them in the Force.

She concentrated on the group, and immediately felt that these were no ordinary Sith. An image flashed in her mind of what she assumed was the Dark Council chamber on Dromund Kaas. She knew instantly that it had come from Ferry, and that she was trying to tell her that the group was made up of Dark Council members – the most powerful members of the Order of Sith Lords apart from the Emperor himself.

A sense of unease washed over her as she counted seven different people. Even if Ferry or herself took on Byz single-handedly, that still meant that three of them – Cursty included – would need to take on two Dark Councillors by themselves. Regardless of how powerful Ferry and herself were, it was a massively tall order. Another image flashed through her mind's eye of Ferry frowning, and she knew the younger girl was trying to tell her to stay focused. Smiling to herself at Ferry's resolve, despite how much she'd gone through in recent weeks, Kayla used the Force to shut out all other distractions and concentrated on what the Sith were saying.

"This had better be worth the trip, Figennus," one said. "While we take our strongest along this ridiculous trail, our brothers and sisters are probably being slaughtered by the Jedi."

"Patience, Diamyn," another responded. "Or do you have so little faith in the Emperor that you would question his orders?"

"It's not _his_ orders I'm questioning. It's _yours_. _You're_ the one who suggested we take this route, not the Emperor."

"But he agreed with me, didn't he? He approved the plan, and that _makes_ them his orders. Now shut up and keep walking."

"If this fails, I'll kill you myself."

Kayla felt the second Sith's temper boiling over, and heard a shuffling of footsteps.

"You? Would kill _me?_"

The second Sith started laughing then, and the group continued onwards without a spoken word, eventually passing by the place where Helena was hiding. A pile of stones tumbled down the cliff face, right in front of the group of Sith, and Kayla felt Helena's Force presence spike suddenly, then settle back down again. Kayla's heart sank slightly as she knew there was every chance Helena had just given them away.

"What the hell was that?" the first Sith yelled out. "Someone's here."

Kayla felt a small beast of some description passing by at the top of the cliff, and used the Force to call it over to investigate the canyon.

"Idiot," the second Sith said. "You should have stayed on Dromund Kaas with the weak and the cowards."

"Who are you to judge me, Figennus?" the first one started yelling. "You waltz in at the Emperor's whim, suddenly get given a title and a name and you think you can order _me_ about? Every Sith here _except you_ is a Dark Councillor. That means your orders come from _us_, and you will do as we tell you. I'll kill you where you stand if you insult me again. You're a damn fool-"

Kayla felt a surge in the dark side of the Force as the first one started choking and spluttering. She felt nothing from the others.

"I am the Emperor's Wrath," the second one sneered. "My orders come only from the Emperor himself. I am _above_ the Dark Council, and you will treat me as such. Do you understand?"

Without actually watching the display, there was only so much Kayla and the others could understand of what was happening down there. She heard a dull _thump_, and assumed that this 'Emperor's Wrath' had probably treated the first Sith to a physical manifestation of his displeasure at the remarks.

They waited for a few moments longer, until the group began to move away again. Kayla turned her head slightly, watching them move past Ferry's position, then subtly signalled them through the Force to proceed with their plan.

* * *

Runice's double-bladed lightsaber shone with a deep purple hue as she waited around the corner for the approaching Sith. With tall, hilly terrain on every side, there was only one way to proceed towards the temple from where they were, despite the paths being overgrown from millennia of neglect. She heard the footsteps of the carelessly arrogant Sith approaching well after she heard their bickering. Remembering some of the things they used to argue about from her time as a Sith, she smiled and reminded herself to thank Kayla and Devin for all they'd done for her when she got back to the temple.

The first one – a Dark Councillor, Runice assumed, judging by the man's gait – rounded the corner and immediately drew his crimson blade.

"Well, well, well," the man grinned. "Look what we have here, boys. Red skin, twin lekku, purple lightsaber, cocky smile…" He looked her up and down for a few moments, grinning wider as he did. "Great body too. I think we've found ourselves a traitor."

"Darth Vorcyl," another Sith said. "I always knew I'd get my chance. Looks like my patience has paid off. As soon as the battle is over, Vorcyl is mine. Anyone else wants her, they have to go second."

Runice grinned in amusement. "My Padawan might have something to say about that."

The Sith all started laughing.

"My dear girl," the Dark Councillor said, gesturing at the fifty-plus Sith Lords standing behind him, some already finding places to stand on the hillsides and tree branches surrounding the path. "Your 'Padawan' is not really of any concern to us. I'm sure you can see why. I'm fairly certain you're…what's the term? Ah yes, 'hopelessly outnumbered'."

Runice grinned a little wider and flourished her blade as the trees above the Sith began rustling their leaves. The Sith Lords looked up just in time to see a dozen Jedi Knights landing on top of them.

The Dark Councillor's eyes widened in horror as Gavin Hekla landed less than ten centimetres in front of him, holding his white lightsaber so close to the back of his neck he could feel his hair singeing. Gavin smirked at him as he Force pushed the whole procession with power that belied his youthful appearance. The Dark Councillor was sent flying backwards straight through Gavin's saber, neatly separating his head from his neck before he could even register the attack.

In less than a blink, Runice was on top of the next four Sith, her purple saberstaff a colourful blur of energy. Her blocks and parries came so fast that to the casual observer it would seem that the Sith weren't really trying very hard. In less than ten seconds the first two had been sliced in half, and in the next ten seconds another had lost an arm.

The fourth one rushed in and blind-sided Runice as she spun around following the successful arm amputation. He caught her by surprise and very nearly succeeded in decapitating her, but Gavin quickly threw his lightsaber and intercepted the Sith's attack. It struck him in the elbow and severed it completely, and the Sith fell to his knees clutching the cauterised stump just as Runice shoved her own blade through his heart to finish him off.

A few hundred metres away, Ashlyn, Kaarffror and Triithbukk were running through the hills surrounding the main path, sneaking from cover to cover. A Sith popped out from behind a large tree trunk as Kaarffror ducked under the crimson blade just in time. He slid on his knees along the ground, lighting his yellow-bladed saber and sweeping at the Sith's feet as he spun and stood up. The Sith leapt over the blow but didn't realise that the two wookiees carried slightly longer blades, and promptly had his throat slit as he tried to duck away from a return swipe. Kaarffror woofed an amused comment to Ashlyn, who'd just sliced a Sith into three pieces nearby, and held up two big fingers.

"Yeah, yeah," she answered dismissively. "I'm still getting warmed up, my woolly friend."

A spinning crimson blade narrowly missed Kaarffror's shoulder, and he looked up to see a Sith sitting on a high branch preparing to use Force lightning on him. His older brother Triithbukk yelled out from some distance away that he'd claimed three Sith already, and Kaarffror howled angrily in response. He grabbed hold of the tree's trunk and shook it violently, sending the Sith tumbling out of the tree in utter surprise. Kaarffror chuckled a wookiee laugh as he realised this Sith probably hadn't met too many of his species before.

"Disgusting beast," the Sith spat as he got to his feet, picking up his crimson blade.

Kaarffror lifted him into the air and held him in place with the Force, growling a question to him as he kicked and bucked, demanding to be let go.

"What's that supposed to be? Is that some sort of beast language? Primitive idiot, shut up and put me down before I make a rug out of you."

"He asked you how it feels to be utterly beaten by a 'disgusting beast' who can tell that your lightsaber's emitter matrix is damaged just by looking at the blade," Ashlyn told him helpfully.

"What?"

Kaarffror put the Sith down and woofed with laughter as he tried to reignite his lightsaber, causing it to explode in his face.

"You'll pay for that, you-"

The Sith's final words were cut short as Kaarffror launched him into the tree trunk with terrifying speed, crushing his skull and killing him instantly. He growled out a pitying remark about the ignorance of some humans.

"He got what he deserved, buddy," Ashlyn told him. "There's a reason a Force user like him ended up with the Sith instead of – _duck_!"

She grabbed the back of the big wookiee's neck and pulled him to the ground just as half a dozen crimson-red blades came flying out of nowhere, missing them by millimetres. They got to their feet again and saw five Sith standing at the ready, their sabers returned to their hands and held in Soresu form's high guard position. Ashlyn lit her own blue and silver blades and held them in Juyo guard, her left hand holding the blue saber out in front of her horizontally at waist height, her silver saber held back behind her head.

"Kill them both," the Sith at the front ordered.

"Five on two isn't really very fair, is it boys?" Ashlyn smiled with confidence.

"Against a Force-using wookiee and the Jedi Master who single-handedly wiped out the entire Rhen Var outpost?" The Sith laughed. "I don't think so, alien slime."

Kaarffror howled out another comment about how unbelievably stupid he thought they were, and Ashlyn couldn't help but laugh, which annoyed the Sith to no end.

"I'd ask you to control your pet, but Togruta are no better than slaves either," the lead Sith spat, then turned to his comrades. "Kill them both quickly before they use any more of their tricks. The tail-head is especially dangerous."

This comment enraged Kaarffror, who didn't like being ignored. He roared as he used the Force to lift them all into the air, then slammed them down hard into the ground. One hit a large rock as he landed, breaking several ribs as well as his humerus and tibia. He screamed in pain, clutching at his shin as the other Sith got to their feet. The lead Sith walked right up to him immediately.

"Please help me, my Lord. The wookiee…my leg and arm…please, my Lord, I beg you..."

"Vaping useless idiot," the lead Sith said, then plunged his saber into the injured Sith's stomach, drawing the blade up through his chest before retracting it again.

Ashlyn shook her head, her mouth involuntarily opened in disgust and shock.

"Does my demeanour trouble you, Togruta?" the lead Sith grinned wickedly.

Kaarffror growled a short comment about the lead Sith ruining his chances of ever joining the Jedi.

"Yeah, you said it, Kaarffror. I feel better about killing him now, not that I ever would have felt that bad about it in the first place. He makes me sick."

The wookiee then woofed out a question in response.

"By all means," Ashlyn smiled, seemingly ignoring the four remaining Sith completely now. "The loud one is all yours if you want him."

* * *

Kayla watched in mid-flight as Ferry smashed the ground right in the middle of the procession of Dark Councillors, straight down on the body of Darth Diamyn. A six metre-wide crater opened up with Diamyn at the epicentre, sending the surrounding Sith Lords flying outwards and slamming into the canyon's sheer rock walls. Diamyn was killed instantly, most of his bones pulverised upon impact along with the majority of his internal organs. The other Sith Lords grunted or moaned in pain as their cartilage failed to absorb the violent vibrating of their bones from Ferry's brutal Smash attack.

Kayla blinked twice, her eyes wide with amazement. She'd never seen an attack like that before; not from any Jedi _or_ Sith. She'd heard about techniques similar to that in some of the holocrons, but never in any detail. It was devastatingly powerful, and she made a mental note to ask Ferry about it later.

Before she could spend any more time thinking, she quickly pounced on the closest Sith, forcing him to prematurely get to his feet. His whole body was still jarred and aching, and his laboured movements proved it. Kayla swung her purple saber horizontally across his throat, and he parried it deftly as she quickly countered with her sky-blue saber across his torso. He somehow managed to bring his single crimson saber down in time to block it, but he wasn't quite quick enough to stop her from kicking him hard in the stomach. She figured she'd hit him right in the solar plexus, because he doubled over in pain and emptied his lungs of air. Gasping and on his knees, Kayla held her sabers in a cross under his chin.

"You have two choices, Sith," she told him.

"Go space yourself," he wheezed, "little girl."

Kayla rolled her eyes and added a dismissive sigh, then uncrossed her blades through his neck. As his head hit the grassy ground and rolled away a few centimetres, she sensed another attacker leaping in from behind. She ducked down into a crouch and stuck her sabers into the air, hoping he'd go right through them and cut himself open.

The Sith hit the ground in front of her and rolled, coming up on his feet again with two crimson-red lightsabers blaring and a snarl curling his top lip, exposing some of his yellowing teeth.

"Watch your back, Talus," he growled with a grin.

Kayla sensed the next Sith at the last moment, twisting away to her left just as another crimson blade shot forward where her spine was. It quickly swung away to her right, and she brought up her sky-blue blade just fast enough to block the surprisingly swift return swing.

_Double-bladed saber on that one…I must remember that._

The two Sith began to push her back, forcing her to concede ground as she moved with blinding pace to keep the four blades from opening her up. She noted to herself how much more impressive the Dark Councillors were than regular Sith, and a smile began to form on her lips as she started to fully realise the limitations of their abilities. She used the Force to shove them hard into the ground and leap backwards, flipping through the air and landing a safe distance away from them both. She quickly scanned the area with her eyes and the Force, noting that Cursty and Helena were both fighting one-on-one with one of the Dark Councillors, and Ferry was fighting alone with who she assumed was most likely to be Byz. That meant the only two left were the two she was currently fighting. The smile on her face widened a little as a plan formed in her mind.

"What are you grinning at, Talus?"

Both Sith were over six feet tall and were intimidatingly well-built. The one who named her had a bald, tattooed head and a thick, shadowy brow that made his eyes appear sunken. The other had thick, messy black hair tied in a long ponytail that reached down the middle of his back.

"I'm just admiring my own ability to easily take on two of the Sith's best."

"Listen to the humble Jedi Master," the long-haired one mocked.

"We know who you are, Talus, and we know all about you," the bald one added.

"I'm flattered," she replied sarcastically. "Truly."

"I still don't quite believe that such a small, young, pretty thing like you could possibly pose a threat to us," the long-haired one said disdainfully.

"Allow me to show you," she grinned.

All three of their lightsabers were suddenly ripped from their grasp and sliced into pieces as they flew past her, to the astonishment of the two Sith. They both gritted their teeth angrily and balled their fists as Kayla smiled up at them with all the sweetness of a Legislative Youth girl practising for her future public appearances.

She leapt into the air towards them, planning to Force push them onto their backs, but was instead caught in mid-flight by her wrists using the Force, causing her to drop her sabers. The two Sith pulled her forwards with ferocious strength and she hit the ground chest-first, biting back the pain as her breasts absorbed the impact.

The long-haired Sith grabbed her from behind, lifting her by her armpits and disabling her arms completely. The bald one stepped forward wearing a broad grin.

"Perhaps it is time _we_ showed _you_ some things, Master Talus."

Kayla winced as he slammed his fists into her belly repeatedly. After three punches she was totally winded, and struggled to even use the Force to help keep her abdominal muscles tensed. She knew she couldn't hold out forever; sooner or later her abs would give way. She tried to swing her legs backwards to kick the long-haired one in the groin, but he somehow managed to snap his legs shut around her knees.

Totally immobilised now, she continued to suffer blow after blow. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as the pain became too much for her. Suddenly the bald one stopped hitting her, and she tried to sigh with relief, but it came out only as a series of gasps and whimpers.

"I did mention that she's a small, young, pretty thing, didn't I?" the long-haired one said.

"I believe you did," the bald one grinned, stroking Kayla's cheek and wiping her tears away.

"Perhaps we can make it up to her then, for all the painful humiliation she's just suffered."

"Perhaps some less painful humiliation, then?"

The bald one stepped closer and began stroking her exposed, heavily bruised belly, causing her to grimace and recoil as his touch sent molten lava sensations throughout her torso. More tears began to flow down her cheeks as she succumbed to the pain even more. She reached out with the Force, hoping to call one of the others over to help her, but they were all totally preoccupied with their own fights and didn't notice her. Even Ferry seemed to be having a tough time against Byz.

"Don't squirm, Talus," the bald one sniggered.

Kayla realised what he planned to do, and she started to scream but was cut off by his hand covering her mouth. His other hand reached for her waist to undo her Special Forces trousers, and she immediately started bucking and thrashing around in a feeble attempt to free herself. The long-haired one held her firmly in place though, and she was too tiny compared to him to be able to overbalance him. She only needed to make him fall to the ground and then she would be fine.

Fire erupted in her belly again as the bald Sith hit her with incredible strength, so much so that the long-haired one stumbled backwards a few paces, releasing her legs. Kayla felt blood rising up her oesophagus, and an instant later she coughed it all up.

"See what you made me do?" the bald one said angrily. "Now your face is all messed up."

The long-haired Sith dropped her to the ground and held her arms above her head as the bald one again attempted to remove her trousers. Kayla's sobbing became full-on screaming, but with the bald Sith's hand again placed over her mouth, no one could hear her.

Reaching deep into her reserves of Force power, heightened by her desperation, she electrified her hands and sent the current throughout the long-haired Sith's body. He shouted in pain, then gritted his teeth and took the full force of her lightning attack.

Realising that in her weakened state her Force powers were probably only at a fraction of her normal strength, she upped the current as much as she could possibly manage. She could smell his hair burning as his gritted teeth began to chip and break, then he had no more left to give. He stopped resisting her, and she watched as his corpse flew into the canyon wall with explosive speed. It made a sickening _crack_ as it struck, then fell lifelessly to the ground face-first.

Using what little Force power she could still muster, Kayla shielded herself as best as she could from the terrible pain in her abdomen and leapt to her feet. Charging forwards, she tackled the bald Sith's feet out from under him, causing his face to hit the ground. He growled in anger and irritation as he realised his nose was broken. He wiped away the blood that began pouring out of it and growled again.

"Forget raping you, Talus. You aren't worth the trouble. Just vaping die."

He stomped his way towards her, and she was preparing to use the last of her energy and consciousness on one last Force lightning attack when a yellow lightsaber protruded from between his ribs. He looked down at it in confusion, then screamed in anger, his face glowing red and veins bulging with the increased blood pressure. The yellow blade then sliced up through his chest and out through the top of his head, and he slumped to the ground.

Kayla looked up to see Helena's yellow saberstaff switching off. She smiled gratefully up at her, nodding her appreciation before collapsing back down to the ground.

"I saw what they tried to do to you," she said softly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner, Master Talus."

Kayla stared up at Tython's cloudless blue sky. "Thankyou, Helena," she replied breathlessly. "I owe you one."

Helena snorted with amusement. "You gave me a second chance at my own life when I never deserved it. You accepted me into the Jedi Order when most people would call you stupid for trusting me. You owe me nothing, Master."

"Kayla," she corrected. "Where's Ferry?"

Helena grimaced. "Come on, I'll help you up."

* * *

"'Emperor's Wrath', huh?" Ferry mocked. "So the Emperor is too lazy to keep being angry with anyone? He has to get a failed Jedi to do it for him?"

Figennus snorted. "You know nothing, Ferros. I'm in a position of power that almost all Sith and Jedi will never see in a dozen lifetimes. I wield influence second only to the Emperor himself."

"Influence?" she replied in disgust. "_That's_ what you think you have? All you've done is be angry with me for doing my job, then take it out on the very people who taught you to be everything you are. You're a betrayer and a petty thug. You could have been magnificent, Byz."

"Don't call me _Byz!_" he yelled through gritted teeth, igniting his new crimson lightsaber. "The name is Darth Figennus! You would do well remember it, '_hero_'."

Ferry started laughing as she ignited her own violet and purple blades. "I'd do well, would I? Well answer me this, _my Lord_. Why turn?"

"As if I would ever give you the pleasure of answering a question like that," he spat.

"Are you fighting for equality, like you did on Taris? To stop evil from taking hold in the galaxy?" Ferry's anger at Byz started to overcome her, and she raised her voice at him. "What are you doing fighting for _them_? Huh? _Answer me!_"

"You would never understand what I have here," he replied coldly. "You, will all your heroic Mandalorian heritage, your years of training, your honours and accolades. You're a princess, Ferry. An overgrown, self-indulgent princess."

"Is that why you loved me?" she asked, catching him slightly off guard.

He hesitated for a split second, then growled angrily and spat at her feet.

"I never loved you. I guess it's difficult for an arrogant harlot like yourself to believe, but some men have better things to do than be enamoured by vindictive, self-centred brats like you."

She slowly walked up to him, deactivating her sabers and trying her best to look as sensual and attractive as she could, hoping she'd activate the Byz part of his personality that had truly adored her. It was everything she could hope for that she'd be able to turn him back without him inflicting anything more than verbal abuse.

Figennus' eyes rimmed in flame as Ferry placed her hands lightly on his waist.

"Get away from me!" he shouted, grabbing her by the neck and electrocuting her with a quick Force lightning attack, sending her sprawling backwards.

"That was pretty cowardly," she said with a frown.

"No, it was pretty _stupid_ of you to approach me like that. What were you expecting? A hug? Stupid girl."

He extended his left hand in a pinching gesture and Ferry felt the pressure begin to build in her skull as her neck began to compress violently. Her feet left the ground as her vision became enveloped in darkness in less than a second. Frightened at how much more powerful he was than she had expected, she quickly responded with a Force lightning blast that struck him square in the chest. He flew backwards ten metres, hitting a rock wall and sliding down to the ground.

Dazed, but otherwise unhurt, she quickly collected herself and lit her sabers as Figennus swung at her head with a powerful two-handed slash. She parried it high with her purple saber, then brought her right hand up and swiped at his waist with her violet blade. Figennus was as fast as he was strong and batted her saber back with such ferocity that she had to deactivate it to avoid mutilating herself. She stumbled backwards and landed on her back.

Grinning to himself, Figennus took two big strides towards her and kicked her hard in the ribs, launching her a few feet away. Ferry cried out in pain and clutched at her torso as Figennus tried to kick her again. This time she caught his foot and twisted it, forcing his whole body to rotate as he landed on his chest. She quickly stabbed at his kidneys, but Figennus rolled to his right and knocked her feet out from under her.

She deactivated the purple blade as she came down, and Figennus knew now that she was basically unarmed. With a swiping gesture, he used the Force to brush her two sabers away from her grip. He grinned wickedly and grabbed both her ankles, holding them at waist height as she remained face-down on the ground.

"What would Mandalore say about his favourite girl if he could see this?" Figennus mocked.

Ferry tried to spin herself around to loosen his grip, but Figennus was using the Force to enhance his own physical strength and she couldn't budge him. He put his foot down on her crotch and began to press down, pulling her ankles towards her at the same time. Ferry's eyes bulged as the pain came through in a torrent. She screamed in agony, thumping the ground with her fists in resistance, as if it would somehow take her mind off of it.

Tears streamed from her eyes as Figennus pressed harder and harder. Her whole lower body and torso burned with pain she'd never experienced before. Desperate for any kind of diversion, she aimed her hands backwards and let her face and shoulders take the weight of her upper body instead. She felt the power crackling at her fingertips and waited until it built up to a suitable level, taking the torturous, unfathomable pain for just a little longer.

She released the blast, hoping that at least part of it would hit him. She heard him cursing and grunting, then felt as she fell free of his grasp. She wanted desperately just to lie down and take a few minutes to recover, but the Mandalorian in her told her she needed to press her advantage now while he was stunned.

She turned around to pick her sabers back up, but it was time she didn't have. Figennus was already on her again, kicking her feet out from under her. She fell heavily on her side as he took a handful of her throat and held his lightsaber just above her face.

"You've got no idea how long I've waited for this moment, Ferros."

"About two days? Three maybe?" she answered spitefully.

Figennus growled angrily at her, pulled his lightsaber hand back and punched her hard in the face. Ferry started laughing at him, causing him to grip her throat tighter and restrict her breathing.

"It wasn't so long ago that you were telling me you didn't want to live without being with me. What happened to you, Byz?"

"I _told_ you not to _call _me that!" he shouted, emphasising his words with more punches to Ferry's face.

"I dunno how much this means to you anymore," she wheezed, "but I really did love you, Byz. I would have spent my life with you."

"_SHUT UP!_" he roared, blackening her left eye with a particularly heavy blow.

"Figennus…" she said softly, blood oozing out of her mouth. "I will always love Byz Akkon, my best friend. Somewhere in that messed up head of yours, he's still in there, and for what it's worth, I just want him to know how much he meant to me, and how sorry I am to have to do this. Figennus though…I'm not sorry at all. I hope this hurts like hell, you sick, stupid _or'dinii_."

She reached up with her right index finger and touched the hilt of his lightsaber. Within moments the blade retracted and the casing superheated, then exploded. Using the ensuing confusion to her advantage, she rolled to her left and pushed Figennus over on to his back. Before he could use the Force to call one of her lightsabers to his hand she leapt on top of him and clamped her knees against the sides of his head, then rolled onto her right side.

Grabbing the back of his head, she roughly pulled it up higher until his throat was pressed against her crotch, then clamped her thighs tightly against the sides of his neck and squeezed.

Figennus' face quickly turned red as he brought his hands up to grab her legs. He grunted with effort as he tried using Force lightning on her, but to his surprise she didn't react at all.

"Didn't Ashlyn tell you? Trial uniforms. They absorb small amounts of energy," Ferry explained as she relocked her ankles and squeezed as tightly as she possibly could.

Figennus began to panic wildly as Ferry's tight grip began to bring him closer and closer to the edges of consciousness. Veins bulged in his forehead as he slapped and pried uselessly at her thighs, moaning in fear and utter desperation as they clamped his arteries and his mouth shut.

"Nighty night," Ferry said softly to him, shortly before he stopped struggling and indeed moving altogether.

A soft burbling sound came from his forcibly shut mouth and his hands flopped to the ground beside her hips. She waited a few seconds longer before she stopped squeezing, just to be absolutely certain he really was unconscious and not faking it. Her suspicions were proven false when his body began convulsing uncontrollably.

"He's out cold," Cursty said suddenly, catching her by surprise. "It's time."

She handed Ferry her lightsabers, and she ignited the violet one, placing the other back on her belt.

"Quickly, or he'll wake up!" Cursty told her.

Ferry started sobbing as the reality of what she was doing finally hit home. This was her best friend, the one she shared everything with. The one person who'd meant more to her than anything else in her life. The one she loved, and had wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But there was no other choice; with the dark side fuelling his motives now, Byz was unbelievably dangerous and _had_ to be stopped no matter what. He was far too powerful, and even _she_ hadn't been able to bring him back. If Ferry wasn't enough then it had to end here, and she knew she had to be the one to do it.

"I can't," she replied, deactivating the lightsaber and handing it to Cursty, then broke down in a fit of tears. "I won't kill him."

Cursty simply stood still and shook her head.

"This isn't Byz anymore. I don't think he's been Byz for a long time now. He has to be stopped though, or he'll kill millions of people. You _know_ how powerful he is as a Sith. Master…"

Cursty _never_ called Ferry 'Master'. She looked across at her young apprentice and saw that she too had tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. Ferry steeled her resolved and nodded in understanding. She reignited the violet blade and sniffed as the emotions overcame her again, holding the blade above Figennus' unconscious face.

"Goodbye, Byz. I'll miss you every day."

She stabbed downwards with all her strength, then turned the lightsaber off and dropped it to the ground. Collapsing onto her knees, she scooped Figennus' body up in her arms and hugged him to herself, screaming and crying as Cursty watched on helplessly, too young and too overcome with sorrow to know what to do or how to act.

As she watched her master break down in front of her, Cursty let her tears flow freely. They dripped down to the ground, mixing with the blood that had been spilled on both sides of the conflict. Her only comprehensible thought was that nobody really wins when a sixteen year old has to kill her own best friend for the good of the galaxy.


	15. Chapter 15

The mood in the temple on Tython could be described as sombre at best. Even to a non-Force user it was obvious. To the Jedi, it felt like a limb had been removed from their young Order. Kayla sat on the bottom step of the temple's front entrance staring blankly out into the distance, unable to think about anything. Whenever she tried to remember exactly why she was so upset, her mind faltered and clouded over again.

Kaarffror sat on a high branch in a nearby tree doing exactly the same thing. He wouldn't respond to anyone at all, for any reason. One whole day had passed since the Battle of Tython and he hadn't eaten anything the entire time. Everyone on the planet knew what wookiee appetites were like, and they knew how bad a situation had to be for one not to eat anything at all.

Kayla knew how he felt. She too hadn't eaten anything and had barely moved. She understood that the Jedi Order had scored a great victory against all odds, and that the Order needed her presence and most of all her guidance for the tricky road ahead of them, but this was a new situation for her. The war had been all too real for the members of the re-formed Order, but never _this_ real.

Like a lot of people, she'd lost friends to the war before. That's why she understood Kaarffror's strict refusal to communicate at all, in any way, with anyone. Normally she'd be the understanding, compassionate Jedi Master who knew exactly what to say to almost anyone to make them feel slightly better and get on with their lives. This time it was very, very different. She couldn't understand exactly how Devin was able to do it, and she somewhat envied him for it, but at the same time she pitied him for not feeling as sad as she was feeling.

Lenny Tanski was the longest serving member of the Order apart from herself and Devin. She remembered vividly the moment they met and how he'd tried desperately to break the police lines on Coruscant, just to help her and Devin out, because it was the right thing to do. She remembered his first brush with mortality against Darth Rengar five years ago, and how much he'd changed since then. How he'd transformed himself from the brash kid who wanted to solve everyone's problems with a flashing lightsaber, into the wise and powerful, controlled and sympathetic Jedi Master he finally became.

Lenny was the first member of the Order in an extremely long time to understand how it felt to lose a student to the dark side of the Force. Not even Liina could say she'd experienced that, and she'd taught more students than anyone else by far. Without being present at the time, Kayla could never say for sure what Lenny's motives had been, but she certainly hadn't detected any kind of vengeance or anger or even misplaced responsibility about him following Byz's fall. She wondered to herself if maybe she was wrong about her theory of balancing the dark and light sides of the Force; whether the old Jedi might have indeed been right the whole time, and understood more than she ever could.

How arrogant could she be? To think that she knew better than a thousand generations of Force users who had culminated in a specific way of life, training regiment, belief set and ethos. She wanted so badly to take it all back and start all over again, or better yet just leave that damn holocron where it was and run off with Devin to some forgotten Outer Rim planet and stay forgotten along with it forevermore. She knew Ferry Hekla had thought something similar when she confronted Byz yesterday, and she was really starting to believe that it might be the right thing to do.

"Apathy is only good for teaching. It never solves anything in a time of crisis, Kayla."

She refused to acknowledge the voice, not that she recognised it anyway. She hated that her mind was so open as to allow her thoughts to be heard by someone else at this particular time, but she didn't care enough to say anything. She wasn't sure she really cared about anything much anymore.

"If it's getting too much for you, I could take over. I reckon I'd be a great Grand Master. I know I'm only sixteen, but I could grow into it. Plus, the new face of the Jedi Order needs to be prettier than the last one, don't you think? Right now – no offense, darl' – but you look like _osik_."

Surprised by a female voice using a _Mando'a _word, she finally broke her trance-like stare and turned her head to see Ferry sitting down next to her. She couldn't quite believe it; Ferry was closer to Byz than anyone, and she'd been the one who had to kill him. How she could be up and about and chatting to people after only one day to grieve made no sense at all, not when Kayla was so grief and doubt-stricken that she was contemplating giving it all up. By the looks of Ferry's face – the smeared make-up, puffy eyes and flushed cheeks – she'd been doing quite a lot of grieving herself, but she was still talking to people, still getting on with her life.

"It's actually easier than you'd think," Ferry replied to Kayla's unspoken thoughts.

"Your face is a bit _osik _too, you know," Kayla smiled less than half-heartedly. "You're getting good at that mind-reading stuff."

"You're just being too transparent," Ferry said with a brief shake of her head, her brown hair untied and drooping gracefully but messily over her slender shoulders. "I doubt I'm the only one who can sense it."

"I'm not sure I care much anymore."

Ferry shuffled closer to Kayla and put her arm around her shoulders, pulling her in and tilting her head down to rest on her shoulder. She was still dressed in her Special Forces fatigues, and hadn't washed or even slept at all.

"I don't believe that any more than I believe I don't smell right now," was her answer.

Kayla tried her best to remain serious, but she had to admit – Ferry needed a long shower and some fresh clothes. Unable to stifle it, she burst out laughing.

"Oh Ferry, what do I do now?"

"The same thing you've always done: lead the Order. We're in a better position now than we've ever been. More and more worlds are expressing their interest in joining the Jedi Coalition, and the remaining Sith are either hiding on Dromund Kaas or are being held here on Tython. Sure, we've still gotta deal with Versca's Republic and the Chiss Ascendancy, but those obstacles are getting smaller and smaller the more good we do."

Kayla lifted her head and regarded the younger girl with amazement. She was speaking with maturity, intelligence and wisdom far beyond her sixteen years. Perhaps having to deal with so many crises in such a short amount of time, and having to bounce back quickly to keep performing her service to the Jedi had been a good thing for her. If that was indeed true, then maybe Kayla's philosophy of balancing the light and dark sides wasn't such a bad idea after all.

She'd heard countless stories from Liina's holocrons about Jedi who'd suffered tragedies in their young lives and gone on to become absolute monsters, causing distrust among the people of the Republic and sometimes within the Jedi Order itself. People like Ulic Qel-Droma, Revan, Exar Kun, Jacen Solo, Anakin Skywalker…the list went on and on, and she was sure there were probably hundreds if not thousands more that they hadn't heard about yet, or whose stories had been lost to time. She knew it had only been several years, but already her philosophy had prevented the rise of a fallen Jedi and appeared to have strengthened the resolve of Ferry Hekla, not to mention the conversion of Helena Prudal and Runice Arriah.

"It gets better," Ferry continued. "Senator Serluss was contacted by a man named Leeroy Gennoa this morning."

"Gennoa…" Kayla said to herself, trying to remember where she'd heard the name before. "Is that Kuati?"

"It sure is," Ferry nodded. "He's one of Versca's aides. He's also her second cousin, and he wants to meet with Jamieson and ourselves to discuss some 'potentially incriminating evidence' against her," she said, using her fingers to emphasis the quote.

"Of what nature?"

"Well, he wouldn't say exactly, but Jamieson seems to think it's of a sexual nature, judging by his timbre and general secrecy."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that," Kayla admitted.

Ferry raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't you? I sure did. She's creepy, and she's Kuati. You know what their women are like. My dad used to call them 'aggressively feminist' when he was being kind about them. For all we know, she was probably whipping and beating the poor guy to get her rocks off after a hard day of lying through her teeth to the entire Republic."

Kayla's jaw dropped slightly and a smile started to form on her face.

"Come on, as if you weren't thinking the exact same thing," Ferry said, playfully punching Kayla's arm.

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure I'd ever put it quite like _that_."

Ferry shrugged. "Honesty is a wonderful thing. You should try it again sometime. Like when you're telling me if you're okay."

Kayla got the message loud and clear. Maybe it _was_ time to be honest with her.

"Okay. Honesty," she started. "I'll give it a whirl. If you tell me how you're doing so well right now."

"I'm not," Ferry answered. "I'm exhausted, my whole body aches, I smell like crap, I had to kill my best friend to stop him from helping the Emperor take over the whole galaxy, and I just found out Triithbukk and Lenny were killed while being ganged up on by a dozen Sith each. So we wouldn't have to. I've never felt worse in my whole life. But there are more important things going on right now, and sulking and feeling sorry for myself won't help anybody, least of all me. I don't think Triithbukk sacrificed himself so I could sulk about it, and I doubt Lenny did either. I like to think that them and Byz are still around, part of the Unifying Force, giving us their strength. They wouldn't want us wasting it on tears and isolation, thinking about how we should give up. That's not what they were about, and it's not what we've made this Order about. It'd be dishonourable, to say the least. At worst, it disgraces the whole concept of the Force and the Jedi Order, not to mention the lives of the people who gave everything to protect it. We're better than that, and you bloody-well know it as well as I do."

Kayla sat in astonishment. She'd been selfish, and only after hearing Ferry's words did she truly understand just how much. She was _right_: this was no time to run away and hide. Apathy _is_ only good for teaching, to see how a student acts in a certain situation. But in the end, an action is always taken by someone, and it will always be judged to be right _and_ wrong. Even apathy can be viewed as an action, from a certain perspective, and that too is judged right or wrong.

In that instant, that moment of clarity, Kayla understood exactly what needed to be done.

"Ferry, you're amazing."

She cupped Ferry's cheeks in her hands and gave her a long, hard kiss on the lips, then quickly stood up and raced up the stairs and into the temple.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Ferry chuckled, then went over to talk to Kaarffror.

* * *

The next day, the Council – except for Liina and Finnschall, who were still with the younglings on Kashyyyk – gathered in the front foyer area of the temple, where they had gathered only a little over a week ago to discuss the Jedi witch-hunt. The rest of the Order was gathered to hear them, all either sitting down before the dual staircases or standing and leaning against something. Kayla stepped forwards and cleared her throat, then used the Force to get everyone's attention.

"Thankyou all for being so prompt," she began. "I've asked you all here to relay some news, and to talk about our strategy for the immediate future."

She hesitated for a moment and looked down at her tall knee-high boots, then back up to her audience.

"First of all, it is with the greatest pleasure that I introduce you all to the five newest full members of our Order. They were all instrumental to our success here against the Sith, and have proven themselves to be strong, capable and compassionate Jedi. There is little more that we ourselves can teach them, and much that we can learn from them in the future. It is with the greatest honour that I present to you our newest Jedi Knights: Kaarffror, Xander Reklos, Crinnul Forster, Gavin Hekla and Helena Prudal."

All five stood up and bowed before the gathering, red faced with embarrassment and shyness, but each exuding a strong sense of pride and duty.

"Gavin in particular is pleased, as Master Arriah thought it prudent to limit him to a single lightsaber when not training. He can now go ahead and make himself a second saber like his big sister."

Most of the gathered Jedi laughed as Gavin none-too-subtly began a little victory dance. Kaarffror barked out a joke about Mandalorians needing a single enormous lightsaber, which earned him a swift whack to the back of the head from Ferry.

Kayla continued.

"I'd also like to make one more announcement before we proceed. The Council has been deliberating on this for a little while now, but due to the heroics, skill and selflessness displayed recently, our decision has been pushed forward and made final."

She glanced down at Ferry with a sparkle in her eyes and a subtle grin.

"We'd appreciate it if you could all put your hands together for the youngest Jedi Master in the known history of the Jedi Order, and also our newest Council member: Jedi Master Ferros Hekla."

Ferry's eyes glazed over like she'd just swallowed an entire shipment of spice. Kaarffror clapped her on the back and howled his congratulations, nearly knocking her over. The Jedi roared their applause, clapping and whistling at her, and still she didn't register the news.

"Why don't you come up here and join us, Ferry-girl?" Devin offered, gesturing towards the vacant stair in front of him.

"Uh…um, sure…thanks…that is, I mean…what?"

"You're a Master now, Ferry. Congratulations!" Crinnul said, pointing to the staircase where the other Masters stood.

Ferry slowly made her way forwards, still in a state of shock and disbelief. The Jedi continued applauding her as she blankly ascended the stairs, eventually reaching the others. Devin put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a little squeeze. She looked up at him, still with an expression of disbelief on her face, and Devin winked down at her.

"You've earned it," he told her. "You'll make a wonderful Jedi Master."

Ferry finally registered what was happening, and a tear formed in each eye.

"Thankyou, Master. I never expected this, it's such an honour."

Devin shook his head with a smile. "The honour is ours."

* * *

"So I've been meaning to ask you, what was that attack you used?" Kayla asked Ferry as they enjoyed a celebratory drink with Helena and Devin on a balcony looking out at the hills to the east of the temple, towards the old Kalikori Village where Lenny had given his life two days ago.

"You mean that explosion thing?"

"Yeah, I've never heard about it before in any of the holocrons or anything. Have you, Helena?"

Helena shook her head as she gulped down half her bottle of Corellian ale, swallowing hurriedly so she could respond and almost spilling some down her shirt in the process. "Never. If the Sith could do that, you'd have seen it by now. I'd love to learn it though, it looks so powerful."

"It's sort of an instinct, really," Ferry explained. "I've been trying to teach Cursty, but apparently it's not easy."

"I saw you do it to Byz on Corellia," Devin said. "Have you got a name for it at all?"

Ferry shrugged and shook her head as she put her now-empty bottle on the ground.

"I just call it 'Smash'. I'm sure it's been done before, I heard of an old Master named Mace Windu that used to do something similar. I don't know if he had a different name for it though."

"Smash," Devin thought to himself. "I like it. Simple, brief; it does what it says on the box."

Ferry smiled as she floated a new bottle of ale into her hands with the Force.

"I could show you all, if you like. It's quite simple, really. All I do is sort of charge myself up, leap into the air and then pound the ground as hard as I can. It does hurt a little though; you can't really do it too much. It uses a lot of energy, but it's effective."

"No kidding," Helena chuckled. "You took out Darth Diamyn in one hit with it. He's damn tough too. I've seen that guy take a lightsaber to the stomach before, then throttle the guy who did it with his bare hands straight afterwards."

"It'll definitely come in useful if some of us can learn it," Kayla nodded. "It's pretty devastating."

"Speaking of devastating," Ferry said, "are you sure about renouncing yourself as Grand Master?"

Kayla sipped her ale, lowered it again, then stopped and hesitated while she searched for the right explanation. She sipped again, staring off into the distance.

"I don't think I'm really ready for it. I don't think any of us really are," she answered. "There's a reason that the Jedi Council is necessary, even when there are only forty-two Jedi Knights in the whole Order. Having the weight of every decision, every criticism and every member on one person's shoulders is counter-productive. We're in this together; there _is_ no 'Grand' Master any more than there's a right or wrong way to do things. To say that my own opinion is weighted more heavily than anyone else's is just wrong, and it'll hurt us more in the long-run."

Ferry looked to Devin, but he just shrugged and grinned as he finished his own ale.

"Don't look at me, you're as much a Council member as I am these days, remember? What do _you _think?"

Ferry thought for a moment, then sculled down half the bottle of ale.

"I think if Kayla has doubts about herself that she probably should address them, but it's her post and she needs to be responsible for her own decision."

"Well I can assure you that just having a Council works a lot better," Helena said. "Trust me, I've come from the Sith. The Dark Council was a useless entity, simply because the Emperor overruled pretty much everything they did or said. The few times he didn't, the Council was so busy fighting with each other about whose opinion mattered the most and who was more powerful than whoever else that nothing really got done. In the end, it was always the Emperor's call anyway. You guys don't have that problem here. Nobody's concerned about being powerful here, it's so refreshing. You all just discuss things, do your best to see each other's point of view, then agree on the best way to go about it. You don't need a supreme leader to make up your mind for you, you're all capable of making good decisions on your own."

Kayla stood up and walked over to the reclining bench Helena was sitting on and joined her. She put her arm around the younger girl and pulled her closer.

"I'm glad you're with us, Helena. You're going to make a great Jedi Knight."

"Aww, thanks Kayla," she hugged her in return. "I'm just glad to be back on the right side of this whole thing, seeing things clearly again. One day I might even get a chance to make up for all the things I did as a Sith Lord."

"I think you already have."

All four of them glanced at each other, wondering who'd spoken. They turned around to the doorway, but saw nobody there, then looked down at their ales, wondering if they'd been spiked.

"It's okay," came a familiar gravelly, masculine voice. "It's not the ale. I'd never forgive myself if my favourite drink caused you to hallucinate me."

"Kyle Katarn," Devin smiled. "I thought you said you couldn't appear to us anymore?"

"Do you see me anywhere?"

Devin frowned. "I suppose not. I see you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"Could someone please tell me what's going on?" Helena interrupted, her big, brown eyes wide with confusion.

"The voice you're hearing," Kayla explained, "that's an ancient Jedi Master named Kyle Katarn. He's appeared to us before. He's actually the reason Devin found the very first Jedi Holocron on Ilum."

"And I appeared to you again after your battle with the Sith on Borleias," Kyle added.

"So why can't we see you now?" Helena asked.

"Complicated Jedi stuff, you understand," Kyle dismissed her. "To put it simply, I've used up my power cell with you lot, and it takes a long time to recharge. I've got just enough to speak to you now, and that's it."

"You told us last time that we'd see another Jedi," Devin said.

"So I did," Kyle affirmed. "That's why I'm here. I'd like you all to meet one of the greats."

As he finished the sentence, a misty semblance of a human girl with beautiful brown hair and brown eyes appeared, sitting next to Ferry on a bench. She looked uncannily similar to her, so much so that if it weren't for the brown eyes and Jedi robes she could almost be the same person. Devin – being the only male present – immediately noted that she was undeniably, breathtakingly beautiful, and from what he could tell exactly the same height as Kayla.

"You're Jaina Solo, aren't you?" he blurted, his jaw propped open. "We've learned quite a bit about you from our holocrons. I wasn't expecting you to be this…"

"She's gorgeous, isn't she," Kyle chuckled as Kayla whacked Devin in the arm. "That's what happens when you mix a Solo with a Skywalker, I guess. Maybe I just got used to seeing her all the time, so I sort of don't notice it anymore."

"Oh stop it, you know that's not why I'm here," Jaina laughed.

"Yeah I know," Kyle chuckled. "Anyway guys, it's time for me to leave. If you live long enough, maybe I'll see you again someday."

"Kyle, wait a sec!" Devin said. "I wanted to ask you something!"

"Too late, Devin," Jaina told him. "He's gone. He'll be able to hear you still, but he can't respond anymore."

"We thought you might not come after all this time," Kayla said to her. "It's been more than five years now."

Jaina smiled at her sweetly. "We have to be careful about when we appear to people. Like Kyle said, it's not something we can just do whenever we want."

"So you're here for a reason, then?" Ferry asked.

Jaina regarded her curiously for a moment.

"It's little wonder you're so clever. You really do look a lot like me when I was young," Jaina smirked. "I like your hair better though. And your height."

"I'm only a few centimetres taller than you," Ferry replied.

"You got your mother's height like I did," Jaina chuckled. "Anyway, you already know why I'm here, don't you?"

Ferry nodded. "The Emperor."

"I guess you're expecting me to reveal something that'll shatter you to your cores, right?"

"That's a no, then," Helena grinned.

"Not exactly," Jaina corrected. "You guys need to focus now on stopping him, though. He's more dangerous than any of you realise. Devin's the only one who's fought him, and he's powerful. But that's not why he's dangerous."

"He's desperate, isn't he?" Devin noted.

Jaina nodded and flashed another gorgeous smile. "His plans have failed at critical points, and he's starting to understand that he can be beaten. He fears _you_, Ferry, and you too, Kayla. He wasn't expecting to lose here on Tython, and he isn't taking it lightly. None of you can beat him in your current state. Not even together. If you fight him now, he'll destroy you."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Devin asked.

"You should speak to your twi'lek friend Liina about it. I think you'll find that she's discovered something that will help you out immensely, but it's not where she thinks it is. She'll tell you _what_ it is, but in order to find it you'll need to go to Vaynai."

"Vaynai? Never heard of it," Devin said, scrunching his face.

"I think it's a resort world near the end of the Perlemian Trade Route," Helena replied.

"Very good," Jaina winked at her. "It doesn't sound like much, but speak to Liina and you might change your mind."

Jaina began to slowly fade away, and Devin immediately got to his feet in protest.

"You can't go yet! We've only been speaking for a few minutes! Can't you stay a little longer?"

"Sorry, Devin," she answered. "If I stay any longer, I might not be able to appear to you again for a long time, and that's something I'd really like to do."

Jaina turned quickly to Kayla then.

"Oh and Kayla," she smiled as her Force Ghost disappeared entirely. "You can take this up with Liina's holocrons too: Ferry's Smash attack is something that got used a lot in the days of Satele Shan. It was called Force Sweep, but I like 'Smash' better. It's the kind of attack Anakin would have really liked…"

Kayla sipped at her ale again, then plonked the empty bottle on the ground next to her many others.

"Why is it that only Kyle Katarn takes our drinks? Jaina was really sweet."

"She's really beautiful too," Devin muttered.

"You know she's been dead for six thousand years, right?" Ferry asked with a raised brow. "And she looks just like me."

Devin went red. "So what? You're not so bad either."

"She's sixteen!" Kayla shouted, whacking him on the head again. "I think you're a bit drunk, Dev."

"I'm allowed to be. We deserve it," he protested. "Besides, since when is it a bad thing to comment on someone's beauty?"

"When you leave me out of it!" Kayla crossed her arms in jealousy.

"Who's drunk now?" Devin grinned.

Kayla glared at him and Helena started laughing, putting her feet up and reclining back.

"You can't _pay_ for this kind of entertainment," she giggled.

"Come on, Kayla," Devin pleaded half-heartedly. "You know I think you're great. We all think you're great, right girls?"

"It's your hole, mate. Dig yourself out," Ferry answered with a smile and a wink.

Devin grimaced as he looked back at Kayla, who was still frowning.

"Your job for the rest of the night is to get me my drinks and not complement anyone."


End file.
